The Sinistriad
by Atta-Nycol
Summary: Rodolphus Lestrange knows better than to embarrass the family name, but a chance peep show has him enthralled with sarcastic halfblood Aurora Sinistra. Sparks are sizzling, but loyalty, loss, and love are complicated gambles in this tempting epic romance.
1. Reputation

**The Sinistriad  
**_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 1

* * *

_Sinistriad:_

_Of the most excellent and lamentable tale of hard-earned love, and then its loss; of hubris, and its sentencing; of the games gods play with mortal fates; and the men that sometimes overrule them._

* * *

Rodolphus Lestrange took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, balancing it on two legs to catch the burst of afternoon sun streaming in behind him. He reached up and ran both of his hands through his thick brown hair, slicking it back and then mussing it artfully forward again, letting his hands slide down to scratch his beard. Rudy was proud of this beard; he was the only sixth year in the entire school that had managed to grow one thick enough to merit keeping. Alongside his height and his thick frame, it made him look much older than most of his mates. He glanced at a table of nearby girls very prettily pretending not to pay attention to him and smiled smugly to himself. Stretching for their benefit, Rudy hoped that the sunlight would catch the definition in his arms. His eyes ran discreetly over one of the girls, wondering if she'd let him kiss her later if he just walked up and asked. Gryffindor, probably a fourth year. Long tawny hair, a little thin, but well kept; skinny—not a flier. He didn't know her surname. She'd probably tell him exactly where he could kiss her, and he doubted it would be a pleasant sort of place. Gryffindors.

Rudy let his chair fall forward again with a sharp crack and propped his elbows on the table, adjusting the rolled up sleeves of his collared shirt.

His younger brother Rabastan didn't even bother looking up from his homework. "You're bored, aren't you," he said in a disinterested sort of way. Rabastan was knee deep in a meticulous essay for transfiguration, and not about to let his brother's attention span put him off his purpose.

Rodolphus nodded gravely in response, an expression of apology etched across his features. Locking eyes, the brothers stared at each other for a moment. Rabastan was just as tall as Rudy, and looked very much like him. Though they both shared their father's features, Rabastan was notably thinner and it made him look much more severe, a distinction that Rabastan fully embraced. While Rudy had an easy, intentionally casual attitude and manner of dress, Rabastan's shirt looked as crisp and rigidly buttoned as a military uniform, his robes still clasped neatly in the front, rather than thrown over the back of his chair. Rudy often said Rabastan dressed the way he did to avoid being mistaken for his brother. Rabastan often agreed, his smile so understated it could almost be missed, and sometimes wondered aloud why Rudy didn't dress more neatly in an effort to be mistaken for him.

"Look over my transfiguration before I lose you completely." Rabastan slid his essay towards his brother, who swept it up with an intentional flourish. "And don't wrinkle it."

"I won't."

"You will if you treat it like that."

"Calm down, I am not going to wrinkle your parchment. And even if I did, it wouldn't matter because you're going to recopy it anyway."

"I am not."

"You are too. You always recopy your essays. Even—" Rudy snatched the paper away from his brother's fingers as they reached out to grab it back—"For the summer tutor. And I should know; it makes me look bad."

"Rudy," Rabastan said offhandedly, "You wouldn't claim to look bad even if you saw yourself in a mirror."

Rudy tipped the corner of the parchment down to shoot a flat look at his brother, who almost allowed himself to smile as he reached for another set of homework parchment. He hadn't even unrolled it before he snatched up his wand and threw a foul look over his shoulder, aiming at Gregory Nott as he and a few of the other fifth and sixth year Slytherins descended on their neat study space, pushing his organized piles of paper around and moving his books. He forced himself not to say anything, snapping at Nott instead. "Did you empty the common room just to come and bother me?" He kept his wand trained on Nott. It would be impossible to do anything with the House nearby—and most of the upperclassmen were.

The entire sixth year class had sat down with them. Jonathan Wilkes, who spent more time in detention than he did in class, had propped his feet on the table; Walden Macnair, his faint black moustache constantly being groomed by his gnarled right hand, trophy of a hippogriff bite during fourth year, sat backwards on one of the chairs; Evan Rosier, with a dangerously seductive smile and a suite of ex-girlfriends that meticulously avoided meeting his eye, leaned back casually, crossing one leg and eyeing the table of girls across the way. Rudy, whose dangerous reputation was only enforced by his inspired performance as a Beater for the Slytherin House Quidditch Team, tipped his chair back onto two legs again.

Most of the fifth years were also present, although even at full strength they wouldn't have been as fierce, and so were left to stand. Tommy Avery, who was a shade too fat and too yellow-blonde to look more than whiney when he was upset, leaned one of his shoulders against a nearby bookshelf, crossing his arms over his chest. It made him look even more dumpy than usual. Marcus Parkinson, whose family had more gold than anybody in all of England, knew his money could buy him out of anything and was therefore rarely bothered by much. He leaned over Rabastan's shoulder, glancing down at his homework. Rabastan himself was the only one afforded a chair, where he sat rigidly straight, ever reinforcing the militant reputation that won him the command of any chess set he came across, and most of his living fellows besides.

Regulus Black was probably sneaking off somewhere, nicking things out of a mate's trunk. He was Slytherin Seeker, and had been for several years, but he was better known for his ability to smuggle anything in and out of the castle or anyone's pocket. Also absent, as always, was the reclusive, sweating, greasy Severus Snape. Snape had a glare that could put off even Macnair most of the time, but as a group the fifth years were tame compared to Rudy and his friends. They might have had a tougher reputation if they could get away with bragging, but among older brothers these things are difficult. Besides, Rabastan noted, the fifth years were smarter than that. His eyes slid towards the unthreatening slouch of Tommy Avery, watched him glare at the back of Nott's head, wishing for his chair. There was a good chance that Greg would trip when he stood up, but nobody would really notice. The fifth years did not get caught.

It was a fair assessment, and Rabastan felt he had the right to make it. He knew these boys almost as well as his own brother. Had considered courting their sisters. Had made the mistake, once, of suggesting he'd do something other than waltz with several of MacNair's cousins, and lived only because Rudy had laughed and agreed that he would too. Knew better than to try and work while he allowed them at his table.

"Hey Rudy. I think your kid brother wants to put itching potion in my sheets." Nott smirked at Rabastan and threw himself down in a chair next to Rudy.

"Did you hex him again?"

Nott composed his face as innocently as possible. "I would never do any such thing to a member of Le Famille Lestrange. Aren't all of them crazy?"

"Yeah, I'm not surprised he wants to poison you. Hey—" he addressed the remainder of the table sharply. "Watch the piles. I put that there for a reason."

"Sorry," his friends muttered, and haphazardly moved the papers back to their original spots. Rabastan nodded in thanks. "Didn't mean to disturb the General and his battle plans," Marcus added. Rabastan looked at him askance, his face impassive.

"Yes we did, idiot." Nott contradicted. He turned to Rudy, and grandly announced, "We've come to break you out of the library." He thumped the table with his fist. "The sun's come out, it's before supper, and there's flying to be done." Rudy nodded in grateful agreement, and raised an eyebrow at his brother.

"I'll stay, thanks," Rabastan said drily, reaching for his essay from Rudy again. Rudy let him have it. " 'Sgood," Rudy said. "I know you're not done, but don't forget to talk about Hamilton's Postulate. It'll be a nice touch—probably nobody else will mention it."

"That's charms," Rabastan said, momentarily confused. "I know it is. Hamilton proved it was possible to combine charms by finding the right combination of wand movements…" His brother arched a brow at him, in open invitation to continue. "but it could be applied… to…combine a transfiguration with a charm?"

"Good," Rudy smiled. "And why is that important when you're writing up vanishing spells?"

"Circe and her bounding band of bastard pigs… stop pretending to be Dumbledore and get out to the pitch…" Macnair rolled his eyes.

Rabastan blinked, mentally running through his essay, trying to focus as multiple side conversations struck up to avoid the academic discussion. A brief history of vanishing, how to vanish an invertebrate, how to vanish a vertebrate, why vertebrates are more difficult, why vanishing is a crucial part of wizarding life and transportation… "It's—I don't know."

"Because it's the principle behind invisibility. When you vanish an object, it goes away and reappears somewhere else, right? But if you turn something invisible, it remains solidly in place. Since that's contrary to the nature of a vanished objected… it stands to reason that invisibility is the combination of a vanishing spell with a charm thrown in somehow.

"That's rubbish—a theory at best." Rabastan said. "Nobody really knows why invisibility works. What do they think the charm is?"

"I don't know," Rudy shrugged. "Hamilton doesn't know either. That's why they call it Hamilton's Postulate."

Rabastan nodded slowly, his brow unknitting in his sudden understanding. He made a note to himself on another bit of parchment and glanced back at his brother. "Showoff."

"Well, he is the best in the year," Rosier said, absently, giving the thin Gryffindor a sly smile, his bright green eyes lit up.

"She's going to hex you in about two seconds," Rudy warned, noticing. He looked deliberately in another direction. "She's not available."

"How do you—ah," Rosier laughed in surprise as the Gryffindor smiled sweetly at him and made a rude gesture. "Insubordinate." He turned back to Rudy. "I take it you were similarly disrespected?"

"Knew better than to give her the chance," Rudy responded.

"Mudblood," Nott muttered.

"You're only interested in Bella Black anyway," Rosier needled Rudy.

"Would you lay off me and Bella Black?" Rudy snapped. "I was—"

Their argument was cut short by the cacophony of a suit of armor clanging through the library doors, running into every possible obstacle on its way in. Peeves, the short, fat, resident poltergeist of Hogwarts Castle, shrieked from the hallway, "LOST HIS HEAD, HE HAS—GONE TO FIND PINCHY MADAME PINCE TO GET HIS HEAD—"

Laughter broke out among all the study tables as the students watched the suit stumbling aimlessly through the library.

"Our savior is nigh," Nott intoned to the laughter of the table. "Walden, if you please?"

Macnair twisted his face into something like a smile. He reached below his chair with his knotted hand, flung his arm up into the air, and sent a medieval helm flying up towards the ceiling. With a whistling swipe of his wand, he sent it spinning across the library, where it firmly lodged itself onto the shoulders of an unsuspecting student.

Rabastan's face tightened in anger. Unless he was much mistaken, one clumsy suit of armor was making its way towards one scrambling, livid Severus Snape. "You bastard," Rabastan swore, standing up immediately.

"What," Nott demanded. The table burst into further peals laughter as the Snape fell backward off of his bench with a clang, pallid legs showing as his robes dropped. "Look at him, he's hilarious!"

"We sleep in his room!" Avery whined.

"Thank Circe I don't," Nott laughed, as the suit found Snape and began attempting to beat the helmet off his head with loud clangs.

"Evan's mangy little mudblood just ran off to tattle on him and all his big bad friends," Rabastan muttered, glancing at his brother.

"Shit," Rosier said, glancing at what had been the Gryffindor studying table, and was now empty. "I don't know how to untransfigure a suit—that's way past NEWT—all we did was take it's helm off—"

"It was your idea," Wilkes reminded him, meanly speaking up.

"I didn't think we'd be seen," Rosier said, defending himself. "Walden had to be so bloody public about it—"

"Calm your ass down, Evan. I got this." Rudy beckoned to his brother, and they both quickly advanced on the suit of armor, wands drawn.

* * *

The flying helm took both Aurora Sinistra and Severus Snape by surprise, as it interrupted their quiet afternoon. The two friends had just taken a brief break to stretch their legs by walking down to the lake and back. Snape had relented to her pleas after watching Aurora untie and rebraid her long blonde hair several times, unable to charm a straight braid without a mirror to help her aim. He agreed to walk if she promised to stop muttering about a braid that nobody was looking at anyway, and she readily agreed.

Aurora was naturally beautiful, with good skin and long legs, but she didn't often pay a lot of attention to her appearance. Although her mother was a pureblood most of the family had cut her off after she married Peter Sinistra, who would have been good stock himself if fate hadn't dictated he be born a squib. Her parents might still have had some money for the occasional set of new robes or makeup, but they were also compulsive gamblers. What money they did make came from horses, and even that was spent soon thereafter to invest in the next race. Sev was right; a crooked braid was the least of her worries. It was just him and just the library, and nobody was looking because there was nothing to look at anyway. Sev knew, because he thought the same thing about himself. He was a brilliant wizard, one of the more talented students in the fifth year, but his father was a muggle and his mother wasn't the most talented of witches. He came from different blood, but to the same end: it was hard for them both to be magical at all.

Frustratingly, Aurora had found it more difficult to focus when they'd sat back down in front of their books than she had before they'd left. Afternoon sun was pouring into the library windows, making it warm and truly soporific among the smell of parchment and old books. She'd rebraided her hair again after running her wand through the loose waves several times to calm the frizz.

"Wish there was Quidditch," she'd muttered to Sev's deaf ears. She picked up her quill and began to doodle a cartoon Quaffle, thinking about how good it would feel to have some practice with Hun-Cheol and Rebecca Goldstein, the other Ravenclaw House chasers. She was going to lose her trim figure—the one aspect of her appearance she really did care about— if they didn't start practicing more often. She wasn't really good friends with either of them, beyond Quidditch practice. Hun-Cheol was a typical Ravenclaw, desperately devoted to his studies, often to the detriment of Quidditch; Rebecca was a little less academically overbearing, but she was also excessively girly. What time she didn't spend at homework or Quidditch practice, she spent in front of the mirror, or giggling at nearby boys.

Aurora later wished she'd been as dedicated as Cheol. Maybe she wouldn't have looked over her shoulder to see the clamoring suit as it entered the library. She might have looked up instead to scratch her nose, might have seen the latest humiliation as it spun across the library and headed straight for them…

When the Lestrange brothers approached, wands drawn, she'd already taken a few blows from the suit as she tried to help her friend, and she was livid. "Well don't just stand there, posing for a portrait! Do something, you prat!"

Rudy was momentarily taken aback by the vicious assault. "Have you cast any spells at it yet?"

"No!" Aurora shouted over the noise of the suit. Rudy moved into position and began a slow enchantment while Rabastan tried to pull it back with a charm. He hoped Rudy knew what he was doing—suits were a tricky business. Rudy wasn't its original commander, so he'd have to entice it to listen to him, like recruiting a soldier from another man's army to turn double agent. When it paused in its ceaseless hammering, and pulled back slightly, Rabastan automatically ordered it to be still; when it was, Rudy made a couple of decisive swipes in the air with his wand, and all the disjointed pieces of armor fell to the floor with a loud crash. The brothers nodded at each other.

As Rudy pulled the helmet off Snape's head, Madame Pince grabbed him by the ear and pulled him away.

"Ow!" Rudy shouted.

"Shh!" The librarian responded, pointing to her office door.

"Madame Pince," Rudy argued in a hushed voice, "I was only trying to help—I'm sorry that the suit was loud, but—"

As the two argued in whispers, Rabastan reached out to help Severus and Aurora off the ground. Aurora took a hand, but Severus didn't.

"He did try to help, Sev," Aurora said quietly.

"I didn't need his stupid help—I hate them," Snape spat, getting to his feet and stuffing things aimlessly back into his bag. "I hate every last one of them—"

"That's my potions book."

"Shut up, squibspawn! Just go away and leave me alone!" Sev tore his bag off the table and slung it over his shoulder, grabbing another book and pushing past Aurora in a huff. Aurora resisted the urge to call after him that a degenerate muggle hardly made a better father than a gambling addicted squib, but it was close.

* * *

Rabastan cocked his head, calling Aurora's attention back from Severus' retreating form. She thanked Rabastan, but he didn't budge. "What?" She demanded. "You want to have a go at me too? I bet you set it on him, you stupid, Slytherin, pureblood asshole—" She yelped as a hand latched onto her braid and didn't let go.

"The hell did you call me, squibshit?" Macnair had bent his head to breathe uncomfortably down the neck of her robes. Aurora glanced around for Madame Pince, but her back was turned as she continued to berate Rudy for helping them.

"Let go of my hair, you pureblood prick," Aurora snapped, jamming her elbows back towards her attacker as the Slytherin boys closed in around them.

He let go and shoved her back towards the stacks, laughing. "A real witch, isn't she?"

"Better than you and Tommy Avery. How many more times are you going to fail astronomy?"

"You watch your mouth, squib—"

"Yeah, yeah, squibspawn, I know. Go roll around on the owlry floor. It rained today—should be nice and mucky." Aurora pushed out of the circle of Slytherin boys towards her own table. Macnair grabbed her neck this time, pinning her against one of the bookshelves.

"I'd watch the way you talk around your betters, if I was you," drawled Rosier.

Aurora glanced around. Unarmed squibspawn versus most of the upperclassmen of Slytherin House. She brought her eyes back around to Macnair, and said nothing. He leaned forward and hissed into her face. "Like bare hands, do you? Huh, squibshit? Is this how your nasty squib father lays his hands on your mother?" He pressed closer and Aurora cringed without meaning to, coiling her knee to slam upwards.

"Assholes," Rudy said, walking up, oblivious. "We ran out of time to make it to the pitch." He beckoned as he backed away again, heading for the library doors without sparing a glance or a comment for Aurora. "It's Slug Club tonight, and none of us are dressed for dinner. He'll bore us with long tales of how he knows the Minister's personal tailor, or something, if we don't go now."

"Circe. Anything but that again."

Rosier let her go immediately and turned to walk away his mates, all of them retreating without a second thought. Aurora rubbed her neck as she turned and walked out of the stacks, fuming that something as trivial as the Slug Club took more precedence than her bullying, fuming at how stupid it was to be mad that they had gone away, fuming at her stupid parents for giving birth and passing their sins on to an innocent child. Reaching the mess that had been her homework, she stood unmoving for a moment, staring at the sun-bathed table, hating the spilled ink and splattered parchment. Retrieving her bag from the floor, she violently stacked the papers and books and slammed them into her bag. She thought about leaving the ink for someone else to clean up, but Madam Pince was already glaring at her. She siphoned the ink away and jetted it back into her inkbottle, which she then deliberately threw into the garbage can with as much force as she could muster. Madam Pince raised one sharp finger and pointed to the doors, throwing her out for the transgression, but Aurora was already headed in that direction anyway.


	2. Territory

**The Sinistriad  
**_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 2

* * *

It was mealtime when Aurora saw Severus again. She was sitting at the far end of the Ravenclaw table, a book propped up in front of her plate, the same as several other students who wanted to spend the few minutes they had to be in the dining hall multitasking. Aurora turned a page, her mind absorbed by a complicated chapter of her Astronomy book on Stellar Arithmancy. Astronomy was her favorite choice for dinner; it was her best-loved subject, and usually felt like a break from her other homework. Often, dinner was the last time anyone saw her at all. If she got relentlessly caught up in her mealtime reading, she retreated early to the Astronomy Tower.

There was a private passage in the Ravenclaw Atrium that would transport you through, if you could solve the star chart posted on an unobtrusive window. Aurora wondered if most students even noticed that the design changed at all. To her, every day was a unique riddle: the charts were upside down, and backwards, projected oddly or in tandem, one over the top of another. Sometimes they involved stars in the background, twinkling through the window glass, but sometimes not; sometimes, they wickedly involved planets that were in a dark period, and couldn't be seen. But Aurora knew the sky, and the passage almost always let her through, as she filled in the blanks and drew the constellations. Aurora was the only person that Professor Hornbeam would allow to sit while he taught other classes, aruging that he needed her help to council some of the more confused students. Technically, she shouldn't have been up there at all. Aside from coursework, the Tower was out of bounds. Initially, other students had wanted in on the secret; but when they realized how cold it was on the tower, even in the middle of summer, the aspiring lovers lost interest. It was easier to study out of the wind, and the more zealous students, even those that wanted extra practice with the telescopes, mostly kept away. Nobody bothered the Tower Rat when she scurried through her mousehole, and that was why she liked it. She was alone with the sky, in those moments. Little else was as precious to her.

She idly wondered in the back of her brain if Stellar Arithmancy would help her solve the evening's riddle, and then became absorbed with the text again. Aurora ate until she felt full, got up without looking away from the text, without saying goodbye to the table. She most likely might have avoided speaking for the remainder of the night if Severus had not stopped her near the doors.

"I hexed him," he said, hesitantly pulling her book down and away from her face.

"What?"

"I hexed him for you," Sev repeated.

Aurora's brow knitted in confusion. "Hexed who?"

"Michael Greentree. He—he called you Tower Rat again," Sev stammered, refusing to meet her eye. "He's jealous Professor Hornbeam favors you."

Aurora's confused expression turned icy. "You've called me worse."

"I'm sorry," Sev blurted. "I was angry."

A sigh escaped Aurora. She'd been determinedly angry at him all afternoon, hating him for how readily he swept her aside when he was in front of any of the Slytherins, and especially James Potter and his gang. In the end, though, she understood why he lashed out the way he did. The entire school picked on him; she was lucky he even tolerated her company, when he disliked everyone indiscriminately. It was the way Snape was, the way that life had made him. If she decided to hate him for that, she'd lose one of the only real friends she had at school. Worse still, she'd have to live with the shame of knowing she'd hurt him like Lily Evans, and that fight wasn't worth it. Unwilling to murder him so callously for saying something she knew he didn't mean, she shrugged. "I know," she allowed. "They're jerks."

"Yeah," Snape agreed.

They stood there awkwardly for a moment. "You still want to go study, then?" Aurora asked. Snape looked up from under the curtain of his greasy hair and actually gave her a smile.

"Sure. What have you got due tomorrow?"

They continued up the stairs again, chatting about schoolwork, settling as easily into their old routine as if it hadn't been interrupted at all.

* * *

"You know, Aurora, I was just thinking," Snape blurted out so quickly Aurora almost missed what he was saying. They'd been sitting up in Aurora's dormitory to get out of the noise of the common room. It was a usual occurrence; Aurora's fellow fifth years left them alone, for the most part, as long as Snape kept to Aurora's bed and Aurora's things.

She glanced up at him curiously. "About what?" Sev's face paled as Aurora met his eyes, giving him a sickly grey color. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes of course. Just um—just thinking about people."

Aurora's concern turned to resolute strength. "Ignore them," she said firmly, and turned back to her books. "And Lily Evans along with." Any time Sev decided to talk seriously about something other than schoolwork, it was usually to do with Lily Evans. Snape was blatantly in love with her, and she was absolutely uninterested. Kind, at times, but intolerant of Snape's moods and whims. Aurora grudgingly admired her for it, wondering if her own pride would ever surpass her pity for her wounded friend.

Snape took a deep breath and steeled himself, hunching even lower under his curtain of greasy hair. "How would you react if you found out that someone unexpected had feelings for you? Just as a matter of discussion, of course," he added hastily.

Aurora thought for a second and decided to indulge her friend. "I don't know," Aurora said, flatly. "It's hard to imagine something you don't expect." She squinted at him narrowly. "Who are we talking about?"

"Your worst enemy, perhaps? Rudy Lestrange?"

Aurora heart skipped a beat. She'd thought Snape was talking about Lily Evans again—he was always talking about Lily Evans in the hypothetical, as if he couldn't even bear to seriously consider that they were actually talking about her. But Snape was being so much more awkward than usual, and he was asking her about Rodolphus Lestrange! Did Snape notice that her mouth was dry? That her cheeks felt flushed? She couldn't decide if she should be as angry with herself as she usually was when she thought about Rudy. The man—the _boy_, Aurora corrected herself—didn't even know she existed. He'd proven that this afternoon, yet again. Why was her heart quickening this way? And why was Snape, of all people, bringing him up?

"Why in the world would Rudy ever be interested in me?"

Snape nodded. "Exactly. How would you react if you found out that someone as unexpected as Rudy, whom you'd never even suspect on any normal occasion, actually likes you secretly?"

Aurora could not admit this. It sounded so cliché; Snape was looking for her to admit a weakness, looking to mock her, looking for something. But maybe, a corner of her heart meanly suggested, there was a different reason he was mining her for information. Maybe someone had asked him to ask her.

"Rudy." Aurora repeated, still to hesitant to engage. "Do you think that's even possible?"

"As a matter of discussion," Snape reminded her. "If—if he makes you uncomfortable, don't think about him. Maybe it's someone you don't hate so much. Maybe it's someone you just take for granted." There was a moment of awkward silence. "Well? How do you think you would react?"

Aurora blushed and looked away, not noticing Snape's meaningful look, no longer thinking about Lily Evans or even Snape in general.

"Well…" she began, hesitating. She looked back at him and set her shoulders. "Honestly, I'm glad you brought it up, and I'm not going to deny it. I've been denying it to myself forever. I've thought about talking to you about it a couple of times, but I didn't really know how to even start a conversation like this with you, and I'm honestly—I'm honestly embarrassed that I feel this way."

"Really?" Snape asked, his expression softening. "You actually feel that way? About—"

Aurora cut him off, continuing to vent. Now that Snape had released the pressure, Aurora couldn't stop talking. "I know you probably think I'm completely mental, and I am. I'm completely mental."

Snape beamed at her. "Of course I don't think you're mental! I'm so glad you—"

Aurora sat back against the wall and sighed, still not listening. "Now what, though? I admit I like him, and for what? There really is no way he likes me back…I mean, he's Rodolphus Lestrange, and I'm—" Snape crumpled completely, but Aurora was so caught up in herself that she didn't notice. "It's just—he just—I've noticed the way he flies, this year. During the Quidditch matches, even when I'm playing. Do you have any idea how damn good he looks on a broomstick? All the Slytherin girls are insane for him—"

Snape nodded wanly.

"And who wouldn't be? He looks that good all the time—gods, I'm so gone for him, and it's so stupid." She covered her face with her hands.

"No it's not," Snape force out, his voice cracking.

"Oh no, you were trying to talk about Lily!" Aurora smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. "I'm the world's greatest and most perceptive prat," Aurora sarcastically cussed herself, but the conversation was cut off by the entrance of one of Aurora's roommates.

"Out," she ceremoniously announced, carefully sculpted curls bouncing on her shoulders as she whipped around and crossed her arms, glaring at Snape.

"We'll talk tomorrow, okay?" Aurora promised, helping him gather his things so that he could go.

"Sure. Tomorrow," Snape mumbled, fumbling a roll of parchment. Aurora handed it to him with a smile. They walked out to the door of the common room together.

"Try not to worry about her too much," Aurora said gently, opening the door for her friend. "Lily isn't worth your time."

* * *

Snape shrugged miserably and trudged back to his own common room, his shoulders sinking with every flight of stairs he descended, all the way down to the dungeons. He passed portraits unseeingly, unusually deaf to their comments about his posture or his coloring. He checked to see that the sixth and seventh years were occupied, and then sat himself down in a shadowed corner, careful to keep an eye on the room. Only a few of them respected his talent; the rest couldn't—and wouldn't—be trusted. He absently caressed the arm of the wingbacked chair, thinking, and then sunk low and back into it, his thoughts distorting his face into a deep scowl.

After a long while, he stood, crossed the common room to a chaise lounge, stared at its sprawled occupant until she finished an exchange with one of her companions, and then condescended to notice him.

"Hello, Bellatrix," Snape said quietly.

"Snape!" Bella's face lit up. "How are you?"

"Fine," Snape said flatly.

"You don't sound like it. Having trouble with another spell, are you? Get your notes and I'll conjure some rats to practice on. Or maybe not rats—is it a bloody one?"

"Bella! Ew! If you're going to sit here and experiment again, I am not sitting around. You absolutely _ruined_ my cardigan at last year's Spring Ball—I was so upset, Bella, you remember that—and all over Signora Veloce's best carpet—she's said it changed the way it flies, you know, it was a really awful thing—"

"Shoo," Bellatrix said, glaring at her sister as she prattled.

Narcissa Black sniffed derisively, turned her nose up in the air, and pranced away with the remainder of the girls that she and Bellatrix had been talking with, the gems in the blonde updo she wore flashing in the firelight.

"So?" Bellatrix said, her eyes lighting up conspiratorially. "What have you got for me?"

"No spells tonight." Snape said, sitting.

"Oh?" Belltrix raised an eyebrow, much less warm now that Snape had denied her a treat. "Then why did you interrupt one of the rare moments where I could actually stand my useless remaining sister?"

"I need a favor," Snape said slowly. "I need you to seduce Rodolphus Lestrange."

* * *

It could have been simpler, in theory. Snape could have asked her to write a letter, or talk to Aurora. Even threaten her. Any of those things might have worked, but what would work best was the toughest solution. If Bellatrix could gain Rudy, gain him and flaunt him, use him to humiliate Aurora, maybe the feeling would be crushed entirely. Snape would no longer suffer the indignity of knowing that _his _woman was having her thoughts occupied by Rodolphus Lestrange. Lily had gone Gryffindor on him; he would not allow Aurora to turn him away in favor of someone else, not again. He'd learned not to speak of his political opinions or aspirations; learned to silence unpopular comments, even if he held them. Learned to keep dark magic a secret. After coming so far, so far indeed, so far he might even be able to prove it to Lily, he would _not_ lose again.

Besides. Bella would never agree to help him if it couldn't play off of her brutality, and they both knew it. But he had come with a mouse to dangle in front of her nose after all, and she could not resist such tempting bait.

And there were so many tempting things about the entire situation, Bellatrix thought to herself, running her tongue over the sharp ridges of her teeth. She wondered if he would tolerate her advances. If she could handle him, or, perhaps, if he could handle her. Her mouth split into a wicked grin at the thought. He'd seemed anxious to try on previous occasions. She'd once tricked him into believing that she'd be willing to give him a spare wand, and he'd performed even beyond her wildest expectations, chasing her family's carriage through the woods. He believed her to be on it, retreating with the prize she'd never given him the opportunity to earn, believing she had the prize to give him at all. He had been chasing desperately after her.

She'd been hiding on the path she figured he'd take, waiting with bated breath as he came tearing closer and closer, had taken her aim so wildly she knew she wouldn't miss, couldn't miss, not as a creature of such instinct. That particular jinx stood out in her memory as one of her best; Rudy had been sprinting full speed, had hit the ground and tumbled for ten feet before he stopped himself. And then, then the real show; the carriage had taken off into the air, having cleared the protective spells around the private estate. He watched it flit beyond his grasp, and she had shivered in the wake of his fury. His agonized yell had been accompanied by a burst of magic so fierce she'd almost been thrown from her hiding place. It had shaken even bowtruckles from trees, and then come again, even more intense; a searing heat that blew the leaves from their branches as he had bellowed in rage.

Bellatrix had intended to reveal herself, but he had stunned her, and she kept her silent vigil, wanting nothing more than to watch as the beast within him raged. Watched as he beat his fist into the ground, over and over. Watched as he picked himself up, examined the dead look on his face, memorized the way he walked mutely from the hollow he had cleared, back towards his own mansion. He had mystified her, from that moment. She had held something he wanted, though she was unsure, now, that it was the wand. She had forced that temper, forced the incredible outpouring of magic, forced him from all his usual restraint and elegance. The power had run through him, but he fed from her like fiend fyre fed on gold. His power belonged to her.

Yet seduction was a different matter than temper. If Bellatrix still held any of his attention, she now needed a different kind. He had been cold towards her since she had disappeared from the forest, but she caught him looking every so often. She knew his mates teased him about it, but Bellatrix had not been interested in more than taunting him, not really. Not until Snape had suggested she act as though she felt otherwise.

Again, to own all that power again, made Bella's head spin in anticipation. She imagined him in the throes of dark magic, and found her teeth bared. _Want_, her mind shrieked at her, and Bellatrix obliged.

Consumed by instinct, Bellatrix was not inclined to delay. She checked her appearance briefly in the mirror, smiled dangerously at herself. Liked the reflection. Liked the loose dark hair falling straight down to her shoulders, the taunting, minimal amount of makeup she had worn. Wouldn't wait on Cissa to tell her she needed to pin her black hair into a careful assortment of waves and curls. She nearly hurled herself through the castle and out the front doors, breaking into the crisp autumn air. Felt the energy in the afternoon.

Bellatrix crossed the grounds to the Quidditch Pitch in record time. She slowed her stride a mere two paces before she gracefully ducked through the entrance to the Slytherin House Quidditch Tent, willing heat to radiate from her body. Shrugging off their startled looks, she nodded a single silent greeting to Rudy, and then noticed what he was wearing. Her eyes slid over his shirtless, muscled torso, over one incredible shoulder and up an arm as it slicked back the hair he'd been toweling dry. It looked touchable and silky, and Bellatrix wanted to tangle her fingers in it. Feel how cool it was against the flush that had flooded her body. Her eyes made the circuit again, this time noticing his unzipped, unbuckled jeans, and the way the hung so low on his hips. She could see his hipbone, wanted to feel the ridge under her hand. _Want, _Bella's mind crooned.

"You looking for someone?" Rudy asked.

She smiled at the antagonistic tone he took with her. She would wear that away quickly. The fight would make it even easier. "Just looking," she replied, smirking. "Does it bother you?"

His face remained impassive. "What do you want?" Rudy threw the towel over his shoulder and crossed his arms. _Want that. Want it! _

Bellatrix forced her eyes to remain open against the torrent beating against the inside of her skull. _Soon, soon, soon,_ she promised herself. _Must go slowly, must trap the pray before we eat it…_

"I want…" Bella began, and then slid her eyes around the room. "I want a word. I would like it _in private_," She said, her tone clipped. A flicker of emotion crossed Rudy's face, and went away again. The firm edges of his face betrayed nothing.

"Fine. Gentlemen," Rudy called out, raising his voice unnecessarily in the tense stillness that had overcome the changing boys, "Go on without me."

Nott smirked and nodded slowly. "We know you've been—"

"OUT," Rudy snarled, his deep brown eyes flashing violence. Even Nott, who usually stood casually opposite to Rudy's temper, grabbed his bag and went. None of them had any desire to be in the wake of splintered wood and broken glass that followed Rudy's temper. In fourth year, he'd busted every window out of the Transfiguration Hallway, so thoroughly that not even Dumbledore could repair them. All the glass had been manually replaced. They'd suspended Rudy for a week, but his father had kept him out for two. It was one of those embarrassing things that families wouldn't talk about, but that younger students whispered in the common rooms, exchanging stories about the legends of older students, warnings to young Slytherins who wished to distinguish themselves. Mostly, nobody would kill you on purpose in school, but Rudy Lestrange might do it on accident if you piss him off.

"What?" Rudy snapped at Bellatrix, when the last of them had gone.

Her smirk deepened. "Now that you've emptied the room so we can be alone, why don't you tell me _what_," she suggested, her smirk turning to a velvety smile. "You have all the privacy you want, Lestrange, and I think you know I didn't come in here for business."

Rudy stood up, strode towards her, close enough that she could feel the heat pounding in his body. Whose heartbeat was it that reached her ears? _Yes. Want it. Want more._

"You watch Quidditch practice, sometimes," Rudy said dumbly.

"You noticed? Rudy," Bellatrix crooned, running a fingernail over one of his solid shoulders.

"It's difficult not to notice a thorn among roses." He leaned in close, intending to threaten her. "Why are you here, little girl?"

Bellatrix licked her lips. "Because I am not so little," she denied. "And neither are you." She waited an instant for her intent to dawn on him, and then snapped forward to press her lips to his, holding his neck so that he couldn't jerk away from her in surprise. _YES, yes, good, good Bella…_

Bella's insides screamed with ecstasy as he pressed forward, grabbing her body so he could press into all its curves. He roughly tore her hands away and flung her towards a solid wall, pinning her against it. His body was every bit as hard as it looked, and it held her firmly to the wall.

She was better than he thought she'd be, Rudy thought, and he had thought about her. Had obsessed over her, for a time, before he forced himself to think of other things and other women than the untouchable, undesirable Bella Black. His father would have killed him for plundering her mouth this way, for liking how warm and wet it felt, for liking the way she'd come for him today. It was unseemly; it was an embarrassment; Rudy had better prospects than Bella Black; there was a blood traitor in her family… but Bella was no blood-traitor, Rudy denied. Bellatrix was purer than all of the Great Families put together. Bella was different.

Rudy had kissed plenty of other girls, and often. What he liked most, though, was the soft sound of a feminine sigh of satisfaction. If Bellatrix hadn't hooked him before, she certainly reeled him in with her moan. She could tell it fiercely fed his ego. She felt his grin against her lips, thrilled at the sound of laughter low in his throat. "You like this, don't you, Black." He jerked her body so that it aligned better with his. "Yes," she hissed back at him, struggling against his grip to get back to his mouth. She needed its smoothness, its warmth against her own… he obliged her, and suddenly she didn't want his mouth any more. She broke away from his bruising kiss and presented him with her neck. He teasingly bit her, loving the way she smacked his shoulder in retaliation, alternating the caresses of his lips with sweeps of his tongue.

"You are so _good_…" Bellatrix sighed, arching back, giving Rudy more of her neck to taste. He pulled at her robes, yanking them off her shoulders and letting them fall to the floor, pooling around her feet. He pushed his hands under her cotton shirt, reveling in the heat and softness of her skin. She fumbled with her own buttons, wanting him to reach for something else, and Rudy did. He pressed a kiss to her collarbone and shoved his hands into her newly opened neckline, panting.

Bellatrix arched at the feeling of his fingers pressing into her bra, and then beneath it, pushing it up and out of his way. Suddenly, one of his hands darted up and to her neck, pinning her head back. He squeezed with both hands.

"Is this what you came in here for? To satisfy yourself?"

Bellatrix was distracted by his sudden change in attitude, distracted by the feel of his fingernails as they gently scraped her.

"No," she denied, trying to regain her wits, certain that "yes" was the wrong answer, even if it was the truth. Her answer broke off into a plaintive moan.

"Then tell me," he growled, digging his fingernails in, "what—you—want." He punctuated each word by lightly jerking her against the wall.

"I—I wanted—" She couldn't think. _Want! Want him!_

She arched into his body, caressing his leg with one of her shoes. "I wanted you… just you," she said desperately, hoping it was what he wanted to hear. Were these the right moves? Rudy had systematically removed her control… had stripped her of any useful mental faculties…

Rudy stared into her eyes. They'd softened with his kisses, widened from the shrewd glare they normally displayed. They were nice eyes, he thought to himself. Likeable eyes. He smiled. Who knew that Bellatrix Black had likeable eyes, underneath all her unstable intensity?

She gently extricated herself from his firm grip, and guided his massive form so that he stood with his back against the wall. She stared into his face with as much calm and sensuousness as she could muster, desperate for his trust. "I wanted you, Rudy." She pressed a soft kiss to his chest, let her lips and tongue trail down the center line of his body, following the valley between his pectorals, and then his abs. Gods above, Bellatrix thought, I thank Circe for this body…

A gentle surprise gripped him as she knelt, sliding her hands into his undone pants, caressing his hipbone before she gripped his belt, pulled down. His skin warmed with a flourishing desire, and she could see the almost instant layer of perspiration that began to form on Rudy's just-showered body. She inhaled, breathing in the scent of his soap.

He whispered her name, and then shook his head slightly. Her eyes widened in surprise, and then she grinned at him, and began to pull at his pants again anyway.

Rudy growled and buried his hand in her hair, wrenching her off the floor and back up to his mouth. He pressed into her so that she could feel his arousal, but he would deny her? Deny her the taste of him? _Want that! Yes, that, want that now. Take it—TAKE IT FROM HIM—_

She slid a hand down, looking for him. It would be instinct, just like everything else good in her life—she didn't need to have done it before—

He grabbed her wrist and wrenched it backwards. "Apparently," he said, roughly handling her body until she was pinned with her back to him, utterly trapped by the grip of his arms. "Somebody has to make you play nice." Bella's heartbeat tripled as he buried his nose in her hair and inhaled the dark, hot smell of it, ducked around it and ravaged her neck. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before. She bucked against him, but he held firm, scored her with his teeth, earned a cry of pleasure.

"That's right," he mumbled against her neck, tightening his arms, needlessly adjusting just to move his grip on her chest. "This is how you like me…" She bucked harder and Rudy suddenly let her go. She turned and tore into his mouth, kissing and teasing him until she was breathless, until he had torn more breath from her with his touch than she could stand. She lay panting against his shoulder, loving the way his hands felt as the rubbed her back, loved his hands over the friction of her shirt. She melted into the heat of his body, dizzy. _Good Bella, very good. Good girl. _

She sighed comfortably, and Rudy pressed a kiss onto the top of her head. After such a fervent, needy snog, she felt sated, and if Rudy's smug grin was any indication, she'd ensured that he did as well.

Severus' plan rushed back to her. She had done her job thoroughly. There was no way the squibshit was going to be able to entice his hands now. _Mine_, Bellatrix thought, sighing at the feel of Rudy's hands in her hair. The thought pulsed through her, more sustaining than her heartbeat. _MINE. _


	3. Social Control

**The Sinistriad  
**_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 3

* * *

Nothing stayed a secret for long at Hogwarts and news of Rodolphus Lestrange and Bellatrix Black snogging in the locker rooms spread like wildfire. Starting with the Quidditch teams, through the Great Hall at dinner that evening, jumping from one common room to the next that night, and by morning it was the smoldering buzz that filled the awkward pause between every conversation. It was perhaps the only day that Severus Snape could be found practically prancing through the halls, and every Slytherin male who passed Rudy gave him that sideways glance—half congratulating, half sneering. Half hoping that Bella Black would be a one-time snog, just to be rid of her and her unsettling presence soon; and half wondering if she'd become a more lasting impression. It was a complicated issue: Rudy had never been known to date one woman for a long period of time, but Bellatrix and Rudy suddenly seemed a perfect couple. Rudy wanted her, and Rudy always got what he wanted; Bellatrix had gone to him, and Bella never took no for an answer.

"_Maybe she slipped him a love potion?" _

"_Maybe it's a dare!"_

"_Maybe nothing actually happened._"

Rumors multiplied and intensified to a point bordering the ridiculous. Rudy was used to these sorts of gossip chains and had no trouble going about his daily routine as though the stares and voices were a mile away. He conducted himself with the same cool indifference he always did, and aside from the occasional smirk or nod in a friend's direction he kept his immortal presence above the petty chatter of the other students.

Aurora observed him from behind her book, her eyes just barely breaking the upper edge of the binding to stare at him from across the Great Hall. Her attention couldn't have been farther away from the material she was supposed to be reading, and her baby blues scrutinized and captured every movement he made. She had never noticed before how flawlessly he conducted himself in front of the school and she envied his unfaltering composure. Unlike His Pureblood Highness, Aurora had felt sick ever since she had heard about his most recent victim and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to sink into her chair and hide. It's not as if anyone else knew she had harbored a secret crush on him, though now it felt like everyone did. They were laughing at her, mocking her pitiful dreams when he so clearly had no intention of ever looking in her direction. Could her timing have been any worse? It was as if Merlin himself had heard her confession to Severus and was doing this just to ensure that Aurora never got her hopes up. She hated herself for swooning over his purposeful gestures; the way he ran a thick hand through his locks of silky brown hair or the way he rested his elbows on the table so that his shoulders flexed and hunched over his torso, making him look larger than he was.

Aurora sighed and sank even lower towards the table, pulling her book down with her. All she could do was curse herself for ever allowing her fatal secret to escape, and her lunch sat in front of her completely untouched and cold. But she couldn't tear her eyes away! With each passing minute she conjured up yet another reason, another excuse, another fantasy to try and ease her unsettled stomach. News of his snogs had never bothered her before, so why should this one? It wasn't as if she had actually been rejected by him…he didn't even know she existed. But in her darkest dreams she had allowed herself to hope, and what good it did her!

Bella waltzed into the Great Hall a moment later, her books tucked lazily under her arm and her dark hair casually down about her shoulders. Aurora caught herself sneering from behind her book as the Slytherin walked past, but then Bella glanced in her direction, and Aurora shot down behind the pages of her book. After a moment of pretending to read, Aurora dared another peek over the top and was dismayed to catch the last of Bella's flirtatious and yet purposeful smile at Rudy. She watched his reaction more carefully than Bella's, and was surprised that he didn't smile back. Not a flicker of notice crossed his face as Bella took her place a few students down from him, keeping her distance but prolonging her eye contact with him. Rudy waited until she had planted herself and then lowered his eyes and his head with it, and Aurora could have sworn he puckered his lips ever so slightly in a seductive, yet subtle beckoning to authority. Bella beamed.

"Merlin he's good…" Aurora breathed it so quietly she hardly heard it herself. This type of spying was becoming hazardous to her health, and a shiver raced up her spine. He was the seducer; the alpha; the male. He knew just what to do to get a girl's heart aflutter and then stall it a moment after. He had Bellatrix Black blushing and Aurora staring, and no doubt many other females within the room had also turned their attention to his wonderfully masculine presence…

"Not hungry?"

Aurora's head snapped up and she teetered dangerously on the bench, dropping her book and knocking the table in the process of trying to catch her balance. Snape stood over her, watching with a bemused grin as she fumbled about herself, grabbing her book and placing it haphazardly on the table next to her. She grabbed for her fork but instead got the spoon and with a defeated sigh she tossed the spoon back onto the plate and dropped her chin into her hand.

"Apparently."

"You okay? You seem…flustered."

Aurora nodded absently, her eyes only vaguely scanning the Slytherin table now. "How was transfiguration?"

Severus took this as an invitation to sit down, so he set his books on top of hers and placed himself on the edge of the bench. "It went well, if I do say so myself. We were offered a handful of housepoints if we could perform a cross-species transfiguration, which is OWL level magic. No one did it completely, but I managed to give my snake four frog arms, which is more than most of the students could do. Two points for Slytherin..." He tucked a few greasy strands of hair behind his ear and nodded at her plate. "May I?"

Aurora pushed the plate towards him and he helped himself. She watched him pick at the food, as he so often did, sorting it into different piles and finishing off each item before moving onto the other. It reminded her of the way she had been taught to eat at etiquette school, even though she strayed from the rules now that she was away. Her Grandmother hated it when Aurora filled her plate so full that food overlapped. It wasn't "lady-like and would ruin her figure." But the way Aurora figured it; no one was looking at her figure anyway. She scowled to herself at the thought. Circe, if Bella's body was good enough for Rudy then surely a few spare pounds of potatoes and gravy wasn't unreasonable…

"Aurora!"

Aurora blinked and forced herself to sit up straight. "What?"

"I asked you a question," Snape huffed indignantly. "You really _are_ out of it."

"I'm just tired," Aurora waved her hand dismissively. "Got caught up doing astronomy homework last night."

"I thought you said you didn't have any homework?"

Aurora shrugged and Snape paused in his eating to eye her skeptically. She didn't meet his eyes, and he followed her gaze across the room to the group of Slytherin males. He set down his fork awkwardly and fidgeted with the hem of his sleeve. It was near impossible to contain his rapture at the plan that had panned out so well, but if he was going to fill Aurora's empty heart it was necessary that he comfort her first, and rejoice later. That was part of the plan, too.

"So…did you hear about Rudy and Bella?" He said it out of the corner of his mouth, his face still looking down at his lap but his eyes watching sideways through his strands of hair. Aurora shrugged again.

"Who hasn't?"

Snape nodded vaguely and held his breath. He knew what he wanted to say next, but his courage was already failing him. It didn't help that Aurora seemed more disinterested and distracted than normal, and even if he had said something he was convinced it would go in one ear and out the other. Changing tactics he again picked up his fork and finished off the remainder of the food.

"You really should try and eat something. It's never a good idea to go to potions on an empty stomach. Never know what those smells will do to you…"

Aurora spared him a half-hearted laugh.

* * *

The tables in the dungeon were covered with uncut ingredients and gurgling cauldrons. Students were paired up and assigned their own station where a book awaited, open to a specific potion they were supposed to brew and cork by the end of the period. Aurora wrinkled her nose in distaste. She had never been a natural at potions, unlike Snape who could recite half the book and complete most of the potions in half the time. Overall, potions wasn't so bad, when they worked in pairs. Their past potion projects tended to garner Housepoints. Besides—with Snape as her partner Aurora was given more time to steal a glance at Rudy as he worked with Nott three stations over.

"Draught of the living dead…fantastic!" Snape's voice quipped with glee as he ran his boney finger down the page. "This should be a piece of cake."

"For you maybe," Aurora muttered, fingering the valerian roots. "The last time he asked us to make it, mine turned a dark green and stunk like dragon dung."

Snape laughed and plucked his quill from his bag. As he began scribbling notes in-between the margins of his book, Aurora looked over his head to where Rudy and Nott were laughing and flicking little bulbs of red at each other. The bulb burst whenever it made contact and each of the boys looked like they were covered with tiny puncture wounds. The smell that the juice emitted was atrocious and it didn't take long for their laughter to evolve into gagging. The complaints of other students became more pronounced as the aroma spread, and Aurora covered her nose with a hand.

"The innocent small ones are always the most vile," Professor Slughorn commented with a wry grin as Rudy and Nott attempted to siphon the juice off their robes. "You'll want to see me after class, boys. Those stains will take more than water to wash out."

Nott elbowed Rudy angrily, and Rudy shoved him back. Slughorn dropped another handful of the red bulbs onto their table and then began his slow circle of the room, waving his wand about his head to rid the classroom of the smell. His bushy blonde mustache traced the rim of each cauldron as he leaned forward to sniff the contents, his pale gooseberry eyes either squinting in curiosity or glistening with excitement, depending on the quality of the potion.

"You chopped those roots yet?" Snape asked, his attention so consumed with his already simmering blue potion that he hadn't even noticed Aurora's lack of attention.

"Oh…uh…" Aurora grabbed the knife and began slicing the roots but was abruptly stopped by Snape's hand. "What?"

"Chop, not slice."

"What's the difference?"

Snape snorted and took the knife from her. "How long have you been taking potions?" He began skillfully chopping the root, half watching his fingers, half reading the book. "After this it should turn a blackcurrant color…"

"Isn't it supposed to be light lilac?" Aurora craned her neck to read over his shoulder, but he shrugged her off.

"That's after the bean. Here, finish this. I'm going to try something…" He shoved the knife back into Aurora's hand and grabbed the silver dagger that was supposed to be used to cut into the sopophorous bean. Aurora continued chopping the root but paused to watch him as he leaned over the bean, the blade of the knife pressed against it and squeezing it until it burst.

Aurora crinkled her nose and went back to chopping the root. "I thought it was supposed to be cut?"

"So it would seem…" Snape picked up the bean between two white fingers and held it right up to his nose. His eyes narrowed as he examined the leaking juices and his thin lips revealed a hint of a smile. "Perfect."

"I don't think we should risk not following the book. Won't this potion kill people if we make it wrong?" Aurora asked, handing him the remains of the root which he then slid into the potion. It hissed and puffed and instantly turned into the dark purple color Snape had mentioned.

"Books don't make potions, wizards do. And nobody is dumb enough to drink a student potion anyway."

Aurora shook her head in exasperation, but figured it was pointless to argue with him. He had never led her astray before, and when it came to potions he certainly knew what he was doing better than she did. So she bit her tongue and stole another peek at Rudy, whose face was creased with concentration. Nott was leaning over the book, his nose practically smudging the page as he read the instructions aloud to his partner who looked as though he was utterly stumped. His fingers rapped on the table irritably and Aurora felt a twinge of satisfaction; immortal Rudy was being defeated by a potions project just like everyone else. It didn't take away from the fact that the steam was coating his face with a glistening sweat and his hair fell into his eyes without any reservation. Aurora craved a fistful of that hair, to be the subject of that consternated, grudging admiration… but as soon as the thought occurred to her he glanced up and caught her eye. It lasted only a moment, and as far as she could tell he looked right through her. She froze but he didn't so much as blink. Another second. Three. And then he looked away, as Nott shoved another ingredient into his hands. Rudy went right back to work without a second thought, and Aurora felt her stomach drop yet again. It was reminders such as this that brought her daydreams crashing down to reality. In his world, she may as well have been invisible.

"Well well, Sinistra! Snape! Looks like your draught is coming along nicely," Slughorn squeezed his velvet belly between Aurora and Snape and leaned over their cauldron. "Yes, very nice indeed."

"Sir, could I get another sopophorous bean?" Snape asked. "There isn't enough juice left in this one."

"Certainly Severus," Slughorn produced another bean from his handheld chest of ingredients, and tossed it to Snape with a wink. Turning his grin towards Aurora he clasped her shoulder and shook her gently. "Hanging in there, Aurora?"

"Of course, professor." Aurora smiled shyly and gently eased herself from his grasp. Slughorn had always liked Aurora, despite her lack of potions skill. It was a known fact among the teachers that Aurora's strongest subject was astronomy, yet Slughorn consistently gave her additional attention, to her grand discomfort. She had received several invitations to visit him after class simply to discuss her most recent astronomy assignments, and she always found these sit-downs awkward. Luckily she had managed to escape invitation to his "Slug Club" but even now she could hear the giggles of other students who watched as Slughorn continued to make small talk in the middle of class.

"Did you get my owl? Tea tomorrow?"

Aurora's face took on a shade of pink and she shrugged, looking to Snape to give her something to do. But he was already crushing the new bean with the blade of the dagger and dripping the juice into the cauldron. "We may have Quidditch practice…"

"Pity. Friday then perhaps?"

More giggles. Aurora shot a sharp look in the direction of the girls who had nothing better to do then eavesdrop on her conversation and they fell silent under the venom of her glare. "I'm sorry, Professor; I don't think Friday works either."

"Well then, we will simply have to reschedule. Professor Ramona was just telling me how you've completed your latest essay on black holes…what was it called again?"

"Naked Singularities," Aurora mumbled, her face turning an even brighter shade of red. This time a few boys in the room looked up and snickered.

"Naked Singularities, that's right!" Slughorn laughed and rubbed a hand to his forehead. "She tried to sum it up in a nutshell, but I daresay it was well over my head! We really must discuss it in more detail."

Aurora flicked a sliver of root off the table with a numb nod. She was aware of the stares and whispers around her, but there was nothing she could do. This wasn't the first time Slughorn had made her the center of attention in his classroom, and it probably wouldn't be the last. It was bad enough people looked at her as a squib spawn; she didn't need teacher's pet on top of it.

"Yes! I knew it!" Aurora looked up at Snape who was stirring their potion, which had taken on the lightest shade of lilac and was becoming even lighter. He was on his tip toes and his hair hung over his face, almost touching the surface of their potion, and his black eyes were huge. Aurora sidled up next to him, arms folded, wondering what had gotten him so excited but still anxious to disappear after her conversation with Slughorn.

"What is it?"

"Look! Look how potent it is!" Aurora bit her lip and leaned in close, her cheek nearly pressed against Snape's. Truthfully she didn't notice any immediate difference until she caught Snape adding a clockwise stir.

"Sev, you're supposed to stir counter-clockwise!" She hissed. But he shook his head defiantly.

"It's every seventh stir; I tried it once before on a different potion and its effects were immediate. I thought maybe it would work on this one too…" Snape suddenly realized how close he and Aurora were standing; close enough that he could smell her vanilla perfume and feel the warmth of her skin. His grip tightened on his wand and without thinking he inhaled sharply. This intake of fumes, however, strangled his lungs and he burst into a fit of coughs, knocking into Aurora and nearly toppling over the cauldron. Lucky for him, Aurora was quick on her feet and managed to catch her friend before he knocked anything over. With a few solid pats to his back she helped stifle his coughing.

"Steady on!" Slughorn called from where he examined another student's potion. "Everything alright, Severus?"

"Just living up to his name, aren't ya Snivellus!" Nott barked from across the room and a few joined in on his obnoxious cackling. Aurora pursed her lips.

"He's fine professor. Just got a little too close to the potion." Aurora answered tightly as Snape caught his breath.

"Thanks," He stuttered, his pale face tinged with pink.

"Isn't that cute? Squibspawn and Snivellus are having a moment!" Nott sang, his potion spewing sparks that clearly came from a lack concentration. Rudy had the potion book now and was frantically flipping through the pages, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong and oblivious to the jeers his partner was issuing.

"Gregory Nott, I will not tolerate such names being thrown about in my classroom!" Slughorn warned, straightening to his full height which was considerably less threatening than one would hope.

"Maybe you should have more moments with that cauldron. I'd hate to see the look on your daddy's face when he finds out his pureblood heir is really pure shit at Potions."

Snape snorted at Aurora's instant retort and a few others nodded their head in approval. It was rare that Aurora openly jarred with the Slytherins, but it was days like today that she simply didn't care.

"Watch it, squibshit, or it'll be your face going into that cauldron next!" Walden Macnair sneered from behind her. Aurora spun around to face him, her fists balled at her side.

"You first! It could only be an improvement!" The room filled with "oohs" and a few applauded Aurora's quick recovery. Rudy looked up at the commotion around him, but Aurora was too angry to care. Why was she always the target of their cruelty? Snape had slunk back to his perfect draught and was stirring again, keeping his face low and his motions slow. He had learned long ago it was better to remain silent then encourage their tempers, but Aurora had never been afraid to speak her mind, especially when she needed to blow off steam. There was little he could do.

"No filthy half blood bitch talks like that in front of a real wizard," Nott growled, taking a few long strides across the room until he was in Aurora's face. "You're lucky you get to stand in here, squibspawn—but if you're going to be ungrateful, maybe we can make sure you spend most of your time in the hospital wing instead."

"Macnair! Nott! Enough!" Slughorn advanced on Nott just as quickly as he had advanced on Aurora and pulled him away by his elbow. Nott spun on him furiously and jerked his arm away, but Slughorn's gaze was stern. "Detention Saturday, both of you."

"What about her?" Macnair pointed an accusing finger at Aurora. "She started it!"

"I did not!" Aurora shot back.

"Born, weren't you?"

Nott laughed, but the rest of the classroom was silent. Slughorn was head of Slytherin House, but everyone knew how openly he favored his own students. Points and detention would go flying as soon as anyone else joined in. The other students pretended to be more engaged with their potions while only keeping a half-eye on the fight. Rudy shook his head at his friends, but kept his mouth shut. After a quiet word, Slughorn led both of the boys out of the dungeon. Aurora planted herself on a stool and buried her face in her hands, trying to fight the trembling that had overtaken her. The dungeon was silent now, save for the occasional whispering between partners or clinking of cauldrons and bottles, and Aurora glanced anxiously at the clock. She had to get out of here.

"That should do it," Snape muttered under his breath, corking the last of their potion and sliding it across the table to Aurora.

"Great." Aurora's voice lacked enthusiasm and she barely spared a look at the bottle. Snape sighed.

"Why do you always have to do that?" He asked, sitting next to her. Aurora raised an eyebrow at him. "They wouldn't pick on you if you didn't put up a fight, you know."

"No, I don't know." Aurora snapped defensively. "Is that why they've picked on you all these years? Because you're flobberworm?"

Snape's frown deepened. "There's a difference between laying low and being a flobberworm."

"I'm not afraid to stand up for myself," Aurora picked up her bag and began stuffing her books back into it. "Because if I'm not going to, who will?"

Snape opened his mouth but then shut it again. His immediate reaction was to volunteer himself, but he knew it wasn't true. He couldn't even defend himself against his own house; how could he do it for Aurora? Despite how much he cared for her Snape knew it was a lost cause. He had always been a target and that meant he would never be able to defend another target, no matter how much he wanted to. Aurora gave him a look that proved she knew what he was thinking and he felt his heart sink. He was a coward.

"I'll see you later."

With a final glance at the clock Aurora strode purposefully out of the dungeon, grateful to see that Slughorn, Nott and Macnair were elsewhere. She took the steps two at a time. What she needed the most right now was not Snape to stand up for her, or for Rudy to notice her, or a pureblood punching bag like Nott or Macnair. What Aurora needed to do was fly.


	4. Flight

**The Sinistriad  
**_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 4

* * *

Aurora sat on her broomstick, high in the air above the Quidditch pitch, unmoving. She shut her eyes and faced slightly away from the sun, allowing the cloud-filtered warmth to fall on her face without blinding her. The wind fell, and rose again, lifting the loose strands that had escaped from her braid as it blew past.

Aurora inhaled, looking out towards the horizon. Letting the breath go again, she wished it were dark. Of course, it would be cold—too cold to fly for long—but at least the stars would be out. All the people that caused her problems would be abed, and in those simple moments it would be as though nothing were wrong. At least, that was the way Aurora imagined it. More freeing than sitting atop the tower. As soon as she graduated, she vowed to buy her own broom so that she might fly in the dark. The school locked the broomsheds after hours, and as Aurora didn't own a broom of her own…

She shot back towards the ground for the Quaffle, suddenly furious. She drew her wand out of her robes and summoned the ball, meeting the it halfway, her hand stinging with the impact. She tucked the Quaffle under her arm and darted erratically towards the goalposts, evading pretend players as she had been for most of the afternoon. Pictured the look on Nott's face as she dodged his bludger and scored.

She flew back towards the middle of the pitch and did it again, making a drill out of it, aiming for the high goalpost this time. She spun her broomstick in midair and made a difficult throw—another score. Again, again, again, until she wasn't thinking of anything except Quidditch. And, perhaps, the sullen faces of a few soundly beaten Slytherins, maybe the grudging admiration of one of them…

She landed, picturing his face. The way he might be the only one to congratulate the Ravenclaws on a well-played match. She rolled her eyes at herself but smiled anyway, feeling better for the exhaustion of her workout. She took a moment to stretch, using her broomstick to balance herself on the ground as she contorted her body to loosen it again.

To hell with it. She hadn't had a chance to be with him before he'd gotten together with Bellatrix; why should it matter that he was with her now? She could still picture his face over the top of her amorphous fantasy. He was only pretty. Let Bellatrix have him and his ego and all his annoying habits—Aurora would never have to suffer them. In her fantasy, he had no flaws. The day when all the taunts would end, when all the money would be there, and all the rest of the world's troubles relented for ten minutes, when somebody else lifted them off of her shoulders to give her a moment of peace. And, if the guy just happened to look like Rudy, that would be fine by her.

* * *

"Hey, Rudy, wait up." Greg Nott came jogging up the corridor to the Slytherin common room behind Rudy.

Rudy stop and raised an eyebrow at his friend, an unspoken question. Greg rolled his eyes. "Come on. I got in trouble for it already. And a lecture," he added significantly, as a nearby portrait drew breath. The severe faced wizard was always ready to lecture Slytherin House on their scrupulous morality. Greg motioned Rudy to move along to avoid the sermon.

Rudy's face was impassive. "How many days of detention?"

"Just two hours on Saturday. It's Quidditch."

Rudy shook his head and consented to continue walking. "You don't deserve that."

"You've got extra potions this week, as well," Nott reported solemnly.

"What?!" Rudy snapped. "Why?!"

"For messing up our potion. Remind me not to ask you about Bellatrix during classes where we have to pay attention."

"I didn't screw it up—"

"And you didn't fix it, either!" Greg shoved Rudy forcibly. "Circe, Lestrange—I've got extra potions too! Quit acting like you've got it so bad!"

Rudy grabbed his friend by the collar and pulled him back as he tried to walk away. "What is wrong with you?"

Greg shoved his hand away, pointing an accusing finger at the ground. "How in the hell did you get Bella Black?"

Rudy's brow furrowed at the abrupt change of subject. "She came at me."

"Shit," Greg mumbled, and then repeated himself. "Shit!" He kicked out at the wall. "I want her sister," he declared firmly, as if daring Rudy to deny him.

Rudy's mouth nearly dropped open, and then he laughed. "Narcissa belongs to Malfoy," he reminded Greg. The two blondes, each with their flowing locks and velvet ribbons, had been secretly snogging in broom closets for ages. They were unable to formally court each other until Bellatrix was made a promise—or at least was formally courted herself. Rudy blinked. Did a snog qualify as formal courting?

Greg glared at Rudy. "She's not dating him. She wasn't allowed until Bella—"

Rudy cut him off with a short laugh. "I'm not courting Bellatrix, and you've still got no chance," Rudy denied. The likelihood that Narcissa and Malfoy wouldn't end up together was slim to none. Lucius was older than Greg, even if only by a year—and by far the better match. His family was richer, his land holdings more extensive, his bloodline more pure…

Greg kicked out at the wall again. "My parents are going to farm me out to Lacy Allison, if nothing else comes up. I got a letter this morning."

Rudy nodded slowly. "Lucky. She's hot." With her light red hair and petite frame, Lacy was among the prettier girls of Slytherin House, but Rudy was hard pressed to think of something else defining about her. She came from a good family; mostly she was quiet.

"Yeah. Detention, extra potions, and an arranged marriage. Makes my day." After a moment of awkward silence, Nott waved his wand at the door to the dungeons and went in, leaving Rudy standing in the hallway.

"Lacy Allison," he mumbled to himself, and then shook his head. It was difficult to consider Greg married at all. It was extremely difficult to imagine Greg and Narcissa Black together. That moment had come as a surprise. He pushed his own way into the common room, nodding hello to a couple of his friends, shrugging at the confused gestures waved in the direction of Greg's stomping feet.

Rudy sought out his brother at a nearby table, mumbled a hello. "I think Greg might need a game of chess, later. If you've got the time to spare."

Rabastan made a noncommittal sound and looked back down at his starchart. "Heard about potions. You going to fly?"

"Thought I'd spend some time cleaning up my tailtwigs instead."

"I heard about Bellatrix too. Figures that you didn't do maintenance yesterday."

There was a moment of tense silence.

"Dad's not going to find out," Rudy protested.

"I didn't say anything," Rabastan reminded his brother.

"He isn't going to care. It's a stupid snog, Robbie."

"Don't call me Robbie," Rabastan replied, testily.

"You telling?"

"No. It's just a stupid snog. Why would I tell?"

Rudy nodded once. "I'm down to the pitch."

"Bye," Rabastan said, without looking up.

Rudy slung his robes on his sleighbed and walked back out of the common room, his hands deep in his pockets. There was a distinct possibility that after leaving his racing broom out overnight in the tents down by the pitch, uncleaned from practice the day before (and especially after the violent snogging session he'd had with Bellatrix), there would be something that needed to be repaired. Rudy was fastidious about his broomstick; it was the most precious piece of property he owned, besides his wand. While the wand occasionally got the better of him, Rudy's broomstick never did.

Arriving in the changing rooms, he lifted his Comet 180 off the ground, examining it carefully. He set it up on a workbench and went around collecting the supplies he'd need to give it a good scrubbing. Rudy grabbed his owner's scroll and weighted it open. After checking the tail twigs meticulously against the diagram, he checked their binding strength. Finding the twine beneath the brass clasp a little loose, he carefully cut another length of string and tied it around the twigs, before polishing the clasp and reattaching it. It wouldn't do to have such an expensive breaking charm wear thin.

After an hour and a half, his fingers were covered in polish. Catching his distorted reflection in the curve of a potion bottle, he saw that he had a bit on his face as well, though probably less than what it looked like. He wiped his hands as best he could and put his broomstick away before he went rummaging for some kind of harsher soap that the boys broomshed never had. He rolled his eyes and crossed over to the girls' tents, convinced that they'd probably have anything necessary to keep their hands clean.

He swung the door to the girls' changing room open, and froze. Aurora Sinistra stood before him in a rather admirable state of undress, combing out her wet hair. He watched as the towel slipped and she absently raised it again, concerned with her own propriety even when she thought nobody was watching. She threw her hair down as she bent over, running her wand through it slowly to get it to dry.

Rudy couldn't move. Couldn't look away. The towel was not enough to cover Aurora, especially when she bent over like that. She had an incredible body. Slender, toned legs standing slightly apart, the tan running all the way up under the towel that barely covered her bare backside. Did the girl even have a tan line? An image of her basking naked on the Quidditch Pitch during a quiet afternoon flashed across his brain. The thought tightened every muscle in his body, as though he could pull the image from the air and force it into reality if he were but strong enough.

Aurora stood back up—her newly dried hair caught the light in what seemed like slow motion as it cascaded down over her bare back. Rudy needed to put his hands in that hair, to find out if it was as soft as it looked. To find out what it smelled like. His eyes devoured her form again. _Gods_, Rudy mumbled to himself.

Aurora jumped and caught sight of him standing slack-jawed in the doorway. He quickly averted his eyes, his brain scrambling. "Uhhhwooow," Rudy said, nervously laughing. "Nice legs, Sinistra," he smirked, hoping to cover his momentary fumble. He cut his eyes back towards her when she didn't reply. She was standing stock still, clutching the towel so hard her hands had to hurt. Her eyes were glued open in shock.

"Rudy?" Aurora recovered, all the color that had drained out of her face rushing back into her cheeks, leaving them scalding hot. She went scrambling for something with which she could cover herself, feeling the towel slip again in her haste. She squeaked and clutched it back up, found her tshirt and pressed it uselessly over her chest, already well covered, trying salvage her decency. "What are you doing in here? This is the girls' tent—"

Rudy laughed, looked away again in automatic deference to her discomfort. "And I was so certain that little striptease was meant for me." He cussed himself in his brain for flirting, but even midthought cut his eyes back towards her. Gods above, she was beautiful. His whole head turned, and then his body… Rudy found himself walking forward. Aurora flinched away from him, back-pedaling until she ran out of room. Her hesitancy surprised Rudy, and then pleased him. It was rare that Aurora got truly flustered, and the competitor in Rudy wanted to milk it for all it was worth. Besides, he wasn't ready to stop looking at the generously visible honeyed skin of Aurora's slender body—Circe, she had great legs—all his, if he could just keep control of this moment…

Aurora swallowed. "Get out," she faintly protested. She sounded more breathless than she did enraged, a caress of sound that Rudy's ears loved. He smiled.

Aurora turned away from him with a pained, desperate expression on her face. How dare he get caught peeping and have the audacity to scorn her for it! She took another unsteady step away, moving laterally along the row of lockers. "Get the hell out!" Her voice quivered, and she hated her own weakness. "Go!"

Rudy didn't move. He knew he should move; he'd been furious with Greg for the way he'd talked violently down to Aurora earlier. One did not treat women poorly, one did not treat women like this…but some vague emotion in Aurora's eyes was different. He couldn't look away from them, rich blue sapphires. They held him captive, and they did not say go.

He stepped forward again. "What's wrong?" His voice was low, humming with a baritone intensity. He was consumed with a need to protect her from whatever was frightening her this way, to shield her from any terror. She was shivering, but not with cold; the calm disdain of her usual glare had been shoved aside and rich emotions poured out. Helplessness, uncertainty, fear, confusion… hope…

"You are," Aurora choked out. The sound of her own voice seemed to bring her back to herself. "Get out."

Rudy blinked, Aurora's strengthening voice breaking the spell her eyes had cast on him. She wanted to hide from him, not from some unseen threat. He automatically plucked a nearby towel from the rack and grabbed his wand, calmly transfiguring the terrycloth into a soft robe. He held it out, not looking towards Aurora. When she didn't take it, he draped the thing over a bench and then turned his back. "I was looking for soap," he said. "I've got broomstick polish all over my hands. I didn't mean to walk in on you. Do the girls have anything to get this stuff off, short of Mrs. Scower's?"

Aurora relaxed a degree. "Don't look," she mumbled, and slipped into Rudy's robe. Her heartbeat was traveling about fifty times faster than could possibly be healthy, her brain not thinking and thinking too many thoughts at once. Soap? Soap? Didn't the boys have their own soap? Why did he need soap? Soap wouldn't get that stuff off, anyway—didn't he know that? It was potion! Snape brewed potions, not Aurora—why was he asking her? Who brewed potions when they were naked? Gah! Boys! She grabbed her own wand and then rummaged around for a moment, looking for the bottle of potion the girls kept for such occasions. "Here," she mumbled as she found it, tossing it over to him. She gasped as she realized she'd given him barely any warning, but he caught it even though he'd only glanced over his shoulder at the last moment.

"Good catch," she said, her head spinning. She smiled to cover the faintness. Smiling? What was she doing smiling?!

"Good show," Rudy offered in return, smirking. Even covered in broomstick polish, he was smooth and refined. She felt his eyes as they traveled over her body once more. "You really have got great legs," he reminded her, and then backed out of the door again.

Rudy grinned triumphantly to himself as he ducked back into the Slytherin locker room to clean up. Two girls, all hot and bothered in as many days, and that was just in the broomsheds! Rudy found his mind wandering back to Aurora's lean body, though, tanned and perfect. What was between the petite shoulders she had, or Circe forbid, between her legs… her innocence was so attractive. Given her reputation, Rudy was certain no one else had savored the pleasure of her calves, of her gently rounded thighs… and that was a _damn_ waste.

Aurora, however, was ungettable. Not necessarily because Rudy couldn't gain her interest if he wanted to—in fact, Rudy wagered that he already had—but she was an incredible risk. Her background was the least of it; her tongue was sharp and ruthless, and Rudy found himself wondering how he'd feel if she turned him down. It would be a brutal humiliation to take the risk on her and then see it blow up in his face. She'd drive the stake in deep, too—she was just as competitive as he was. He knew. He watched the way she played Quidditch.

The thought of Aurora on a broomstick—naked on a broomstick—filled Rudy's brain. How alluring was the forbidden fruit! But other distractions were available, and far more practical, Rudy reminded himself. It would be simpler to work with whatever he had his hands on. At long last, Bella Black seemed interested. Hot, sexy, willing… she didn't have the novelty of a virgin, as Aurora did, but Bella had the bonus of experience—a bonus he intended to cash in on for the remainder of his afternoon.

* * *

Aurora sank down onto one of the benches as Rudy disappeared, her stomach churning. Her brain felt sluggish, as though time had slowed down to make up for the double-time it had just been running. What had just happened?!

It likely took her twice as long to dress. She was too distracted to notice which way was the front of her pants, and her hands shook so badly she almost couldn't tie her shoes. Finally finished, she sat down again. Glanced at the robe that Rudy might have draped over her bare shoulders, had she been just a little bit more smooth. Ran her hand out over it, almost afraid that the thing wasn't real.

What? The thought weakly crossed her mind again. Her bare shoulders. Rudy Lestrange had seen her bare shoulders. With the freckle.

She shook her head. "Yes, Aurora. With the freckle. You do have a freckle on your shoulder. Snap out of it." She forced herself to get up and then realized that Rudy knew that her left shoulder sported that freckle, and all the panic she'd felt slipped away, to be replaced by complete euphoria. She put both of her hands over her mouth, and then did a spastic victory dance around the locker room, forcing herself not to squeal. Then squealing anyway.

Aurora ran for the door and then hesitantly pushed it open. Seeing no one, she strode back up to the castle, forgetting that her hair was loose around her shoulders. She had to find Narcissa Black.

* * *

"Your hair is down," Cissy commented as Aurora pushed her books to the side and sat down in front of Narcissa. "Excuse us, pookie? Aura is having a fashion emergency." She pushed on Lucius' nose, where it hovered just over her shoulder. He smiled nervously at her. "As long as you're discreet--"

"It's just Aurora," Narcissa said, rolling her eyes. "I'll miss you," Narcissa said, petting his chest. He gently brushed her hand away as he rose and looked imperiously down at Aurora. "I hope the interruption is a worthy one, to take us away from our studies." He stuck his nose into the air, and pranced away haughtily.

"Oh, baby, what have you done? Have you been running your wand through your hair again? What did I tell you about doing that without any product?"

"Pookie?" Aurora commented, dumbstruck. "I think I just gagged, a little." Aurora made an exaggerated face. "Yes, I definitely think that's what just happened…"

"Isn't he fabulous?" Narcissa sighed. "Too bad he can't court me." She winked at Aurora and then waved her fingertips at Lucius where he hovered in the stacks. "All right, Aura Belle, pull the pins out of your pocket—"

"Stop that! It's embarrassing," Aurora said, pulling Narcissa's hand down. Narcissa just giggled and glanced back at Lucius, blowing him a kiss. He glared at her in exasperation, but subtly caught it.

"I'll just braid it," Aurora said with a sigh.

"That would be better," Narcissa mumbled distractedly, patting the seat beside her again. Lucius was immediately back at her side.

"You look lovely in green, Narcissa," He gallantly pronounced.

"Silly," Narcissa replied, swatting him. "You tell me that every day I wear this uniform—"

"Okay, appetite for the evening erased…" Aurora stood up and left the table, quite unnoticed. Unable to think of anybody else with whom she'd share her glorious encounter at the pitch, Aurora stepped out of the library, allowed herself one more gleeful twirl, and then walked back in, looking for Snape. There was homework to do, no matter how great Rudy thought her legs were.

Snape greeted her with a warm smile as she sat down. "You forgot your bag in the lockers again, didn't you?" He shook his head. "I have extra parchment, but don't forget to go back before dinner or they'll lock it up again."

"Right. Bag."

Snape squinted at her, and Aurora gulped.

"What—have you outgrown your quidditch robes again?"

She shook her head. "No."

Snape's squint deepened into a frown. "Then—"

"Rudy just walked in on me while I was changing."

Snape's frown faded as his entire face went sharp underneath the curtain of his hair. "Rudy _what?!_"

Aurora blushed. "He came in right after I got out of the shower—and I—I wasn't, um, really wearing much."

Snape's head throbbed painfully as blood rushed into his face. Aurora liked Rudy. Now Aurora was showing herself to him? Naked? What was she, some kind of slut?

"You told him to get out of your sight, right? He's not allowed to walk in on girls like that—we'll report him to Dippet—"

"Hmmm?" Aurora blinked, and then suddenly remembered she was supposed to be conversing with her friend. "Oh. Yeah. Of course I sent him out. He was looking for soap."

"Soap," Snape repeated, skeptically.

"He'd been polishing his broomstick and he wanted soap… oh, gods," Aurora said, immediately disgusted with herself. "Not like that. I meant—he—his hands were just dirty! I mean—"

"I think we understand each other," Snape said drily. "Did you give him the soap so he would go away?"

"Yeah. Yeah, eventually. He didn't say he wanted it at first. He kept looking at me in this weirdo way. I thought his eyes were going to bug out of his head. I mean, finally he left, but—I don't know. Just an accident, I guess." She smiled hesitantly at Snape. "Good accident, right? I mean, wow…"

Snape closed his eyes and tried not to listen to Aurora babble about Rudy and whether or not the soap had gotten his hands clean. He didn't want to think about his eyes on her body; about how mortified he felt that Rudy had seen his woman naked before he had—he clenched his teeth in anger, and then forced a smile for Aurora's sake. Aurora babbled for another few minutes before Snape's curt responses finally drove her to the spare parchment he'd given her—his gift—Rudy didn't give her gifts. _Mine, _Snape thought to himself. _Hands off, you pilfering pureblood prick._

* * *

Snape need not have worried about Rudy's hands. At the moment, they were well occupied, full of Bella's flesh. Full enough to scandalize anybody who walked into the girls sixth year dorm and glanced into her bed. There was no better place to snog during broad daylight; everyone had gone to study or stroll or do their snogging elsewhere. Rudy reckoned they would have a good part of the afternoon to themselves, and it promised to be a very good part indeed.

Rudy was laying on his side, one leg and one arm holding Bellatrix to him as he plundered her mouth, warm, wet treasure that it was. He felt lazier today than he had yesterday, content to lick and explore every inch of her to his own complete satisfaction, pleased by her insistent need to escalate and loving that he could hold her back to his own pace, just because it was what he wanted. She nipped at his neck and he pushed her back into the pillows, chuckling softly as he gently sucked at her skin in the same place.

She laid a hand on the back of his neck, lightly stroking his nape with her fingernails, consenting for the moment. Rudy shivered and gave a low laugh. "Keep doing that," he whispered into Bella's ear, breathing lightly into it. He chilled again as she slowly ran one fingernail through his hairline.

"Rudy," she murmured as he licked out at her ear. "You make me feel incredible," she hissed.

"You are," he mumbled back at her, jerking again as she curled her fingers along his scalp. He growled as she did it again, rolling over her and pinning her to the mattress. She arched up against him suggestively, pulling at the hairs on the back of his neck.

His hand snapped back and crushed her fingers in his own giant hand, grinning deviously at her. She tried to wrench her wrist out of his grip, but he held her tightly; easily drew her arm back down towards the mattress and held it there. He bent her hand back, extending her wrist. Bent his lips to it and gently brushed them against her soft skin, allowing his tongue to lightly caress the veins that stood out.

Bella writhed under him, sighing. "That's good." Rudy sucked gently on her skin. "Gods, Rudy—you're—kiss me again—" He ignored her and continued to pay careful attention to her wrist. She bucked, trying to throw off his grip, but he only held her more tightly. "Rudy," she pleaded, straining towards him.

Rudy drew back to look at her, just smiling. "Kiss me, stupid," she laughed, and Rudy did. Ravished her mouth. Drew incoherent moans from her, loving the sounds he could draw up from her throat whatever he wanted—

They were both jerked back to reality by the sound of the dungeon door slamming shut. Rudy shrugged and leaned back down towards her mouth.

"Bellatrix?" A nasal voice called up the staircase, and Bellatrix paled.

"Shit, someone is coming down here!" Bella swore with outstanding creativity, wriggling out from underneath Rudy's massive form. "Quick, under the bed!" She shoved Rudy hard, and after a disgusted glare at her, he ducked down on the other side of the bed. She motioned at him, and he mutinously rolled beneath.

Bellatrix hurriedly buttoned her shirt and flung open the door to her dormitory room before the occupant could come in. "What?" she snapped.

Severus Snape descended the staircase, safe from retribution now that Bellatrix had answered him. "The plan," Snape spat testily, "Was for you to seduce Rudy!" He pushed past her and into her dormitory, settling himself on her bed.

Praying Rudy hadn't heard, Bellatrix made frantic shushing motions at Snape. "I'm busy," she said suggestively.

"The plan was terrible. It's not working.

"Snape. Not now."

"Alas, no—he's staring at Aurora while she changes her clothes—You were supposed to keep him away from her—"

"SILENCE!" Bellatrix snapped, but Rudy's massive form rose up slowly from the other side of the bed. Her face paled.

"What?" Snape glanced over his shoulder.

"Oh," He said, lamely, and then was gone again.

Rudy stared at Bellatrix, his wand clattering against the floor from inside his dropped robes. His eyes burned with silent fury as he stared at her. His gaze unbroken, he straightened his clothes, smoothed back his hair, and stuck out his hand.

The tension in the room ignited with a quiet hiss as Rudy's wand touched his skin. Bella's ears popped automatically, as if the pressure in the room had doubled with the size of Rudy's temper invading what suddenly seemed a small space. The room creaked dangerously as Rudy summoned his robes and draped them over his shoulders.

Bellatrix flinched at the sound, reached out to touch him as he brushed past her. He blasted her backwards five feet for the offense.

"Don't you dare touch me," he snarled.

Bellatrix was shocked to find herself shaking, weak in the knees. "Just let me explain."

"I think Snape's just done that, hasn't he?" Rudy took a step towards her, and Bellatrix cowered against an armoire.

"You've misunderstood, he was talking about something else—"

"He called me by name, you worthless harpy—"

Bellatrix' own temper snapped in the tense atmosphere. "Don't you insult me—"

"INSULT YOU?!" Rudy bellowed, and then mechanically held his wand out and dropped it on the floor, clenching his fist shut. It rattled, edging closer to his shoes. "I should think your own willing prostitution in the name of little Snivellus and his squibspawn should be enough personal failing that you already know yourself for a whore. I doubt sincerely that you need me to call you one."

Bella's jaw dropped and she was speechless for a moment, horrified at the intensity of his disgust. Rudy needed no more admission of guilt. "Severus was afraid I'd fancy the pants of his new girlfriend, was he? Thought you just might wrap me around your wand for a few careless hours? I knew better than to listen to you when you flicked your serpent's tongue!" His hand snapped out and grabbed her upper arm. She flinched back, biting her lip. "I'm sorry," Bellatrix squeaked, her voice small.

Rudy immediately let go of her, his face stone cold. He swept up his wand, ruffling all the bedclothes in the room as he picked it up. He turned away without resetting them, exiting the dormitory with heavy, deliberate footsteps.

Against her better judgment, Bellatrix followed him after a moment's hesitation. "I didn't just do it for Severus," Bellatrix begged, emotion swelling within her. "I wanted you—I wasn't lying—"

"Save it, slut," Rudy snapped. He turned to face her, rage darkening his features. Her blood ran cold. "You're a liar and a whore, Black, and from now on you'll stay the hell away from me."

Her face burning in defeat and humiliation, Bellatrix slumped against the wall and let him go.

* * *

_We respond gratefully to our reviewers on our profile page. _


	5. Fight

**The Sinistriad**

_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 5

* * *

Rudy considered leaping out of his chair so that he could smash it against the wall in a rage, just to prove how dangerous he could be if he wanted. His fury raged inside his chest, bellowing for the opportunity to be unleashed, driven to insanity by confinement. He had been used, and scorned, and treated like some well-trained animal, performing tricks as they were asked of him. It could not be borne—such insult would not be borne-- it was BELOW him. _She_ was below him! How had he somehow ignored his father's warnings?

The beast went deadly still at the thought. _His father had been right_. It _was_ unbearable to suffer insult from one of the Black sisters—the ninny, the bloodtraitor, the whore…Did it truly matter which one of them was responsible? They were all substandard, all of them tainted by talk and unproven reputation—

His anger flared and he drove his hand viciously into the pile of schoolbooks on the desk in front of him, his glass inkpot cracking though he had not touched it. He swore under his breath, repaired it, siphoned away the ink. Mechanically set his wand down before he smoothed back his hair with both hands, leaning backwards to balance his chair on two legs.

Maybe it wouldn't suck so much Bella hadn't been beautiful. Her interest had been fascinating. Even flattering. She was so pure of blood, so sultry of looks… a bit crass at times, perhaps, but he liked her petulance. She was raw, as untrained and uncouth as the rest of her family. Stunning, spirited mare of a woman. He had wanted her, he had wanted her to come to him though she bore no one else… but not like this. He was not a prize racehorse, well trained and easily ridden! His leg kicked out at the toppled schoolbooks, and he stared mutinously out of the window, betrayed and enraged and insulted. He was not a mundane cog in some muggle machine, to be turned at will. And he was _not_ the plaything of the Blacks.

Color rose into his cheeks, but not out of anger, this time. He had been watching her out of the corner of his eye. He had been caught staring at parties during the summer. He had admitted it, to Avery, Marcus, Horace…hadn't needed to admit it to Greg. Or Rabastan. He was honest with himself about the occasional waking moments in the morning. Did she know how he thought of her? Obviously, Rudy cussed himself, obviously she had known… his anger surged again, the ink bottle shattered anew, the pages of his books ruffled. How dare she play him for a fool. Classless, treacherous whore! He had been so blind… he ought to have listened to his father…

Well, that was the end of that. He didn't need her. He was Rodolphus Lestrange. He could have anybody he wanted, and screw what anybody else had to say about it. His right was the pick of the litter, as he pleased. Even as he thought of the phrase, he saw her face and her parted, perfectly shaped, tanned legs, and of how sweet his revenge on all of them would be.

* * *

"SINISTRA!" Rudy delighted in the way she froze in the hall, without looking around. He had been right about what he had seen in the changing room, to recognize hope among all the other flickering emotions in a female's eye. His instincts were impeccable.

He had not planned how to approach her. It was part of him, the way he read her hesitance, her will to dislike him, and behind the resistance the curiosity, the longing, the desire…

He bent and whispered seductively in her ear, placing a gentle, unobtrusive hand on her shoulder.

"I want to walk you to class, Aurora." He lifted her books out of her arm without asking, spun her to face a world of onlookers with a firm but gentle pressure on her lower back, and resisted the urge to move his hand down her beautiful back, to the bulge of her skirt… he proffered his arm simply, smiled softly as she took it, and wished dearly that he could see the look on the faces of Bellatrix Black and Severus Snape.

Aurora's heart had skipped, stopped, and sped up all in a matter of ten seconds. From the second she had heard that deep, confident voice summon her from down the hall her heart had not kept a steady beat. She struggled to keep her cool in front of the one man she so dearly wished to impress. Why could one could always remain composed in the presence of strangers and friends, even hated enemies, but when the time came that such a calm actually mattered, it was always out of reach? Aurora now fought to keep her breathing quiet even though it came out in short breaths. She started to worry about her hair (she KNEW she should've curled it this morning), her nails (why did she ALWAYS have to chew them), and her clothes (she had found yet another exploding snap in her wardrobe this morning, no doubt placed by one of the purebloods—could he see the singed hem of her skirt?). And the next thing she knew, Aurora was standing outside the DADA room.

Shaking herself from the worries that continued to pester her, even after she had casually taken her arm back from Rudy, she could only manage a vague smile and her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized him. He faced her with that assiduous grin, looking as though he expected a sort of thank-you. _Purebloods._ There was always a catch—always. Severus had warned her of us much already this morning—what did he know that he wouldn't share the entire truth?

Her eyes searched Rudy for some explanation, some hint of deception. She half expected his grin to turn into rolls of laughter as he and his quidditch comrades merged and made fun of her mercilessly for the rest of the day. Already she could hear their taunts, the jeers and points, picking apart her limited wardrobe and her half-blood status…and already her mind raced with the comebacks she had saved for such an occasion. Aurora did not fancy yet another visit to the Headmaster, but if it meant defending herself against the likes of Rodolphus Lestrange she would gladly sit through the lectures on common courtesy and restrained speech.

"What do you want?" She managed at last, her voice cracking at the last moment. Trying to cover it, she added, "And I can take my books, thanks."

Rudy gave a slight shrug, an indication of his indifference to her crude manners, and handed them back.

"Consider it a thank you. To show my appreciation for you sharing so much with me in the locker room." He smiled slyly at her.

Aurora silently cursed him out as her cheeks flushed yet again. She had just started to hope he hadn't noticed, when his eyebrow raised in a look of amusement and there was no doubt he had indeed noticed.

But before she could mime a fish in front of him he added, "Perhaps we can do it again, sometime?" A calm, confident raise of his eyebrows—and then, as if realizing what he had just suggested, Rudy froze. Two heartbeats thudded in his chest.

There was a pause, and then Aurora's laughter broke the awkward silence. This was all crap. Every last bit of it. How could she have taken it so seriously? The thought itself was hilarious! It was a reaction Rudy was obviously not expecting, as she considered his defensive flush and suddenly rigid stance. His flicker of anger was viciously satisfying. With a hand to her mouth she looked at him complacently. "I would just as soon jump off the astronomy tower."

She lowered her hand as the giggles subsided, but her eyes remained narrowed as she threw back at Rudy the confidence he had just shown her. "I don't fall for tricks that easily. If you're so desperate for a laugh, walk around the locker room in your knickers. I promise you, I will be among those laughing."

There was another pause as the two faced off, but Aurora knew she wouldn't win a prolonged staring contest. His gaze was already rattling her. He was so big—how could her words have put so much beaten anger into his eyes? Why did she feel suddenly that she'd betrayed a friend? Panicking, Aurora forced a smirk with twice as much effort than it should have taken, and turned to enter the classroom.

She did not miss, however, the quick glimmer in his eye as she turned. He'd smirked back at her. _Shit._ Had her expression come off as more of a flirty smile than a look of disdain? Were they sparring partners, now? That was hardly the can of worms that she needed to open. How she hated her inability to keep up her front with him. She'd spent too much time staring, too much time fantasizing over these moments to let them slip past unused. It had never mattered before that she smiled seductively at him in her brain. He was untouchable. Just another pureblood that would forever walk by her in the hall and only take notice when he needed to crush her team during a quidditch match. But even then, Aurora figured he was convinced her broom flew itself because he never so much as paid her a glance. Who knew that one day she'd already be in the habit of reciprocating his seductive smile?

She shouldn't have to hide it, Aurora stubbornly argued back. Of course she had noticed him; who hadn't noticed Rodolphus Lestrange? Tall, dark, confident, and cocky, and something else—something unsaid, unseen, some interlaced secret that made him and his presence all the more attractive… how could any woman defend herself, inside her head or out?

No. Aurora refused to do this to herself. There wasn't room for a risk like this—she would eat it later. She had learned long ago her place in society. And nowhere in her equation did she see room for such a yummy piece of man steak. She could not have him, could not even pretend to want him, and she was out of her mind to think that glimmer she had seen meant anything at all. It was foolish to hope, foolish to think she had a chance…

….then again, it had been foolish to admit anything to Snape and she had. Foolish to think she would ever find herself undressed and in front of Rodolphus Lestrange. Foolish to hope that he would ever touch her, whisper in her ear, and then carry her books to class…suddenly, the idea of Rudy walking around the locker room in his knickers did not seem the slightest bit funny to Aurora. In fact it was quite alluring, and the hope that it would happen, and happen soon, suddenly didn't seem so foolish either.

* * *

Rudy leaned back smugly in his common room chair, propping one foot on the edge of the table. Green light filtered through the lake, glittering in his eyes. It was a moment before the disbelieving denials broke out around him.

"You are not," Rabastan quietly denied.

"Of course I am," Rudy assured, firm.

"She's half-blood!" Wilkes curled his lip at Rudy, as though unable to tolerate the presence of even the thought of lesser blood status.

"All the better. They do the weird stuff." Rudy flicked his eyebrows up, and Rosier gave a dark smirk of agreement.

"SHE'S AURORA SINISTRA." MacNair shuddered. "You do know how obnoxious she is, don't you? Even if you only want her for the lay, she's hardly worth it—there are easier girls, more respectful ones—"

"I don't want the easy ones. I want her, and her perfect pair of legs." Rudy grinned, and closed his eyes and mimed an uncouth gesture in front of his group of friends.

"This is a joke. We're just messing her around, right?" Nott's gaze fixed Rudy with a forbidding glare, as though daring Rudy to say otherwise.

Rudy's face was fixed with a deadly determination. "Nope. I want her."

"You want to go steady with a girl." Avery sarcastically rolled his eyes. "Sure."

"You got a problem with that, then?" Rudy leaned forward, prepared to engage. Greg's glare had gotten his hackles up. If they wanted him to prove he was serious, fine. He'd take on every single one of them.

"Rudy. You have a reputation—" Avery continued, still flabbergasted.

"You think this is going to embarrass me? You think I can't get her, if I want?"

"No, of course not, I just—"

"SHUT UP, AVERY—" it was a chorus of voices.

Rudy flicked his eyebrows and smirked at the group. "I'm doing it."

Wilkes sneered at him. "She's dirty."

More voices answered, warming to the thought. "She's hot—sexy—who cares—"

And then the question… "Think she'll believe you?" Rabastan turned a stoic jaw up at his older brother.

" 'Course she will. It's me, isn't it?" Rudy winked, and leaned back in his chair as the giant squid pushed its way past the window, a dark oblong shape looming and then disappearing into shadow.

* * *

Bellatrix slumped further into her couch in the Slytherin common room. "I am not speaking to you."

Snape gaped at her hollow, passive tone. "How are you going to help me get her back, then?! This is your fault! You have to help me get her back!"

Bellatrix glared malevolently at him, and he took a step back. "It is your fault for opening your big fat mouth—" Bellatrix growled low, and turned her snarl towards the fire at which she'd been miserably staring for the better part of the afternoon. "I said I wasn't speaking to you."

"You liked him," Snape breathed with a dawning comprehension.

Bella was frustrated, and now confused. "What?" She snapped.

Snape repeated himself. "You like him. That's why you helped me."

"That's—that's not true! You just shut your mouth, Snivellus, or I'll hex you sterile—if it's even necessary—"

Her jab and sneer had no effect. Snape grinned at her, lips tight and sneering. "You help me get her back, or I tell Sirius and Potter about your stupid crush, and how you got played by Rudy Lestrange for a halfblood."

Bellatrix turned on him, her voice a deadly whisper between clenched teeth. "You wouldn't dare."

Snape smirked, implacable. "Peter Pettigrew can always be relied upon to spread information—"

Bellatrix stared at him, then whipped out her wand. "LEVICORPUS!" As Snape was hanging in the air above her, scrambling for his own wand, she sneered in his upside down face, pushed on him so he spun. Did it again, smiling. Latched onto his knee with sharp, jagged fingernails to stop the turn, her malevolence back. "You will not breathe a word of that lie to anyone."

Snape scowled at her, and stopped scrambling. "It's not a lie. And you'll help me get Aurora back, because you cannot do anything that would effectively shut me up on school grounds, and I am not going anywhere anytime soon." He dropped to the floor as Bella's shock interrupted her spell, picked himself back up. "We are in this together."

* * *

Rudy strode confidently through the Great Hall, past all the unmasked stares, striding confidently ahead of his mates. He had announced his intentions to the Slytherin Common Room, and almost none of them believed he had the balls to follow through at dinner. Nobody—no self-respecting pureblood—would dream of doing so.

Yet all of them were proven wrong, all of their gaping mouths shut, all their following footsteps stayed as Rudy flung the tip of his wand into the air and curled it in a graceful arc, an elegant picnic basket falling out of nothing and lightly onto the tips of the waiting fingers of his left hand. He scanned the Ravenclaw Table for a moment, the silence of the Great Hall mounting and then breaking into furious conversation. Spotting his target, he advanced, tapped her on the shoulder. When she finally completed her slow turn to meet his eyes, he politely held out the basket as though nothing were wrong. "Come on, Sinistra. Beautiful evening. Help me load up a basket and we'll have a picnic."

Aurora blinked at him over her shoulder. "A picnic," she repeated. She wasn't sure she'd heard right; her ears were stuffed full of cotton, weren't they?

"You know," Rudy winked. "Food, on the lawn? We'll watch the sun go down behind the lake?"

Aurora swallowed. _This is it—this is the trap—why doesn't it feel like a trap—_

Rudy's face fell. "You got plans, or something? Ravenclaws studying at the table?"

Still nothing. Aurora couldn't move. It had to be a trap, but with all her heart she wanted to get up and go with him, on the off chance that perhaps it wasn't a trap. The thoughts chased themselves around in her head, and left her immobile.

He nodded slowly. "Somebody confund you?"

Nada.

With a light shake of his head, he turned to the remainder of the table, giving the gaggle of other girls his most disarming, harmless smile as he began to load the basket. "Tell me what you like, Aurora— is chicken all right with you?"

Aurora was fighting a current that rivaled that of the ocean. The stares she was receiving from not only every Ravenclaw at the table, but the Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors too were coming at her from every direction. She could almost swear that the conversations had quieted, just so everyone could hear what was being said, because what was happening was unheard of. Aurora Sinistra was with a Slytherin; and not just any Slytherin. Rodolphus Lestrange, head of Slytherin quidditch team and hottest man to walk the halls of Hogwarts for years…most girls, though, were more appalled that Rodolphus Lestrange was with Aurora Sinistra; awkward half blood who spent more time in the astronomy tower than in her own bed at night. Why, when he had the pick of the finest girls of the school, would he settle for so little?

"…chicken?"

Aurora snapped out of her thoughts and nodded vaguely, not caring in the least what they ended up eating. Trap or no trap, she just wanted to get out so she wouldn't have to endure the stares any longer. From the corner of her eye, she saw Narcissa mouthing something that looked like "What are you doing?" and Aurora could only shrug helplessly as Rudy continued to pack food. Apparently he had given up on her helping him pick anything out, and he packed it carefully, unabashed, as if the stares were completely nonexistent. Perhaps he was merely used to the spotlight. But Aurora, "tower rat Aurora", belonged to the moon and the shadows, staring at the stars, not the unfortunate stage that was school.

"Are you ready?" He asked, smiling broadly at her.

She returned it with a hard nod. "Yes."

Aurora did not let him take her hand. She did not _want_ him to take her hand. Not now. Not in front of everyone…although by the whispers that followed them, there was no doubt in her mind the rumors would be great and the assumptions would be made anyway. Aurora was with Rudy…but was she? She still didn't get the motivation behind Rudy's sudden fascination with her; where were the laughing friends? Where was the catch?

Aurora blew some hair from her eyes and marched ahead of him, out of the castle and towards the lake with a purposeful stride, Rudy at her heels, cool as a cucumber in his stride. He was smirking to himself, watching the way her skirt moved around her hips and legs, the way her fist would brush it and move it just a little higher. Hell, he was enjoying himself; all discomfort replaced by this utter self-assurance that this plan was working out better than he could've hoped.

* * *

Snape flicked the bug off his wrist, watched it fly in a circle, then land back on the bridge of his wrist again. He flicked it again, it circled, and this cycle continued a few times before Bella's hand came out of nowhere and grabbed his wrist, much as it had a few long minutes before, when Rudy had approached Aurora in the Great Hall. Snape hoped he wasn't about to be dragged off behind yet another bush on the grounds.

"Here they come!" She hissed, yanking him in his spot so he looked at the emerging duo.

He couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction. The way in which Aurora walked suggested her awkwardness and uneasiness about the situation. Something was bothering her and Snape took solace in knowing that Rudy was not everything Aurora had dreamt him to be. And then Rudy emerged, picnic basket in one hand, the other hand running through his hair and his eyes glued to Aurora's behind, and Snape had his wand out and had started to stand before he could think to stop. Bella's arms shot up and grabbed him around the neck, yanking him into her lap as she hissed curse words at him and kept his muffled cry in her shirt.

"WHAT are you DOING?!"

Snape yanked his head up, black hair coating his eyes and his face pulsing with the anger that surged in him. "LOOK at them! Look at HIM. He's staring at her, her…skirt!"

Bella rolled her eyes and gave him a shove, sending him sitting in the dirt.

"Would you just CALM DOWN and get over yourself? You stare too." Bella turned back to watch Rudy and Aurora make their way down to the lake, and her heart lurched. She remembered that look; he had looked at her that way. She had ruined something so good… Bellatrix furiously swept a lock of hair out of her face and stared intently at the two lovers, looking for her opportunity.

The two sat under a tree, Rudy doing most of the talking it appeared, as Aurora refused to sit immediately and was giving him a glare that would scare the sun into setting faster. Bella thought she was nuts, to be so defensive around him. Rudy only exploded when provoked. And who would want to defend themselves against him, even if he did snap? He was the dream boy, the Slytherin fantasy, the crème de la crème. If it was Bella in Aurora's place, the blanket would have been set, the basket set aside, and her and Rudy would already be getting down to business against that tree, under the rays of the setting sun, listening to the sound of the lake…

"What are they arguing about?"

Bella blinked and strained to hear them. Snape was right. Aurora had finally found a seat on the edge of the blanket, and it looked as though the two had started to eat when the half-blood's voice could suddenly be heard rising considerably.

Snape looked utterly pleased. "Now! Do it now! She's angry at him already—it's a perfect shot—"

"Sssshhh!" Bella waved her hand at him, leaning closer to get the action. But Rudy still look unfazed by Aurora's anger, and Aurora, despite her raised voice, looked in no hurry to leave the Slytherin prince and the romantic picnic either. Bella felt her heart sink as she realized this argument would not be working in her and Snape's favor. If anything, Aurora was just appealing to Rudy further, playing hard to get. And if Bella knew anything about Rudy, it was that he would find the most fun in the chase, and as long as Aurora hated him, he would go after her.

Bella grumbled under her breath. "Stop pretending…stop luring him in, you—"

But she didn't get to finish her thought, for Aurora's hand had suddenly swung up and towards Rudy's face in a backhand so unexpected, both she and Snape gasped.

* * *

If looks could kill, Rudy might have been dead for catching Aurora's slap before it made contact with his face. Or maybe it's that he had a vice grip on her hand. But Rudy was not thinking about Aurora's ill will or her anger, just then. He was thinking about her eyes; how deep they were, how sharp, how complex. He had to stop himself from kissing her. From yanking her hand towards him and kissing away the sting it had to feel. Not then. _Not yet. _

He spoke, entirely unruffled. "The next time you wish to hit me, Sinistra, don't wind up. Be subtle about it, will you? Quick." He let go of her hand, and his fingers darted to her chin, brushed her neck, tilted her lips up towards him… "Landing a decent blow is not about force. It is about precision." He smiled. Warmly. He truly did like her, and he probably did deserve to be slapped. She had gumption for following through. He leaned back on his blanket, his teasing undeterred.

"Despite whatever hemophilic failings you might have… you would make a good fighter. I'd give you lessons if you wanted." He appraised her again, without looking away from her face. "You have spunk." It was true, anyway. Who cared if she was a half-blood? What gives if her father was a squib? She was an excellent witch… he softened his edge a little, looking at her. Was her face softening too? He felt a goofy grin etching its way across his face, but he snuffed it out. _Not the time to lose your cool, Lestrange…_

"Seriously. Tell me. What was it like, growing up with a squib?" Her mouth opened furiously, but Rudy stayed her with one raised hand. "I'm curious about your life. If you don't want to talk about your parents, tell me something else. Didn't you go to etiquette school with Narcissa Black?"

* * *

"No no no—bad, very bad—what—I don't—he's not—"

Bellatrix hauled Snape bodily back behind the bush, drew her wand, and pointed it at his forehead.

"You will not ruin this for me, Snape. You move before he touches her lips, and I will curse you into a lower life form than the flies that feed on thestral dung. Do I make myself understandable, or are you too lovesick to comprehend what I'm saying?"

Snape sneered at her, but said nothing. No position to make deals, after all.

"Good boy. Stay." She shoved him, hard, knocked his head against the ground. _Ass. No respect for the plan. Doesn't get it. Have to wait._ She was seething angry. That wench, that simple, easy whore… how DARE she play Rudy for such a fool, how DARE she use those tricks on him, she could see his interest picking up and her determined stoicism… he would be unable to resist her inside of minutes…

But that could be part of the plan too. She could use that.

"Tcha." She rolled her eyes at the irony. In fact, Aurora should probably be thanked for playing so easily into the plan… for being so irresistible…

Angry tears threatened, but Bellatrix choked them back, let the anger burn more thoroughly in her. Her wand handle was getting hot underneath her hand… it itched to perform magic…

Bellatrix adjusted her grip on the wand, trying to comfort it as much as herself, caressed it lovingly. _Soon… soon…_ she stared at the two on the blanket, longed for the moment to let herself loose…

* * *

A bird was busy nesting above Rudy in the tree. Noticing, Aurora's attention was momentarily diverted. The sudden image of said bird letting its droppings land on Rudy's head was far more amusing then it should've been and she fought to keep the grin from escaping her. In actuality, the option of staring at the bird as a distraction was the best tactic than she had so far come up with. She had been lead into the Great hall, talked into a picnic…and when she finally got enough control of herself to do something, she'd hit the man. This was not a good day for Aurora already and she feared the minute she opened her mouth again, it would only get worse. So instead of speaking, she watched the bird nest, trying to ignore Rudy's piercing gaze and thinking fast and hard on the appropriate response. It was there, ready on her lips, eager to escape…but she couldn't. There was nothing in the world that would allow Aurora to actually make friendly conversation with this man, this…arrogant, pureblood, stubborn-ass _boy_, Aurora reminded herself. She had loathed him for ages, only giving him notice when they were playing Quidditch (for his flying was unmatched) or eyeing him unnoticed when she needed a piece of eye candy. She only looked at him because Hogwarts was lacking in the eye-candy department, right. Sirius wasn't too bad, but Circe knew he was a flirt and Aurora couldn't stand that. He was going steady with a new girl every week. Severus had an enduring charm and mystery to him, but Aurora couldn't get past the awkwardness…James was too arrogant without due cause in her opinion, and Lucius would rather shave his head then look at her, so he was out of the question…

Rudy, on the other hand, was notorious for being picky. He had yet to go steady with any girl. Aurora couldn't deny that this past year, she had in fact taken more notice of him…but was it merely because he was at the top of his game? His name was everywhere, he was the gossip in every room, so why shouldn't she have noticed him? And he was NOT making it easy to be indifferent right now. She wanted to keep up this front, she couldn't let him know how she felt! She didn't feel anything! The school would slaughter her… The desire, the admittance of her liking him…it was only a fantasy! Aurora never meant for anything to come of it. She certainly wasn't comfortable with the idea of letting her guard down in front of a man—_boy—_ who could so easily turn around and mock her for it…and get the entire school to join him.

When the bird flew away—how long had it been hovering there while her internal arguments raged again? Ten seconds, five? She lowered her gaze and leveled it at Rudy, matching his cool even though her heart was racing faster than a Nimbus could fly.

"First of all, my name is Aurora. If you're going to flatter me, start with calling me my name." Her voice was just as steady as it ever was, the moments of silence with the bird giving her a chance to regain her composure. "And yes. I did. I would've been thrown out within the week had Cissy not been there."

She added dryly, "What can I say? I simply don't live up to the pureblood standard, and were unforgivables forgivable, Madame Agnew would've assured my early grave."

She saw Rudy smirk, a slight laugh and shake of his head…and Circe and Merlin help her if she didn't actually sense some sincerity in his interest.

_No, Aurora, no! Do not give in now, there is a catch. There is always a catch. Wait until it is sprung and then you can still walk away unscathed…_

"…near the end of our scheduled time at the school, I snuck into Madame Agnew's office and took her lipstick from the desk drawer. She always wore this awful red lipstick that made you wish you were colorblind…and I wrote on her mirror, yes she had one of those in the classroom too, I found a better use for lipstick." Aurora didn't know why she was still talking, or why she was smiling for that matter.

_The story. The story is a fond memory of yours. It has nothing to do with the way Rudy is watching you…_

"I was called down moments before we 'graduated' and scolded for abusing school property," She shook her head and fiddled with a blade of grass. "I tried negotiating with them. Said I'd wear the horrid lipstick for the ceremony. The Dean of the school thought it was funny, but Madame didn't. She made me miss the ceremony to scrub the desks of the classroom. Supposedly that teaches one class…" Her eyes met Rudy's again. "Your parents are purebloods. They teach you class in such a fashion?"

"Something like that." The words were automatic, but they echoed in his brain. He scrambled for a comment about her lipstick story, but the laugh had died. The only things he could focus on were the two-ton sandbags sitting in his stomach. He looked down, looked away, looked across the lake and the sun low in the sky, inking delicate pinks and purples across the clouds.

He cleared his throat. "Rabastan and I didn't go to any kind of finishing school. We spend our summers learning to dance, and at what angle to bow from the waist when you're greeting a lady, and being drilled on politics and current affairs, so that we can speak like urbane young men at dinner parties. The tutors are mostly okay. Occasionally you run into one that's handy with a switch, but…" _but they're nothing compared to my father…_ Rudy shrugged.

"My mother really likes it that we know how to dance." _Focus, Rudy… think… think about… something… _"It was her act of rebellion as a kid. She learned the American swing dancing, and couldn't get enough. Her parents didn't like it… my father doesn't like it, actually, but Rabastan and I can lindy-hop our way all the way to Hogsmeade just as well as we could tango."

DING—that was it—dancing. He could talk about dancing for hours. _Just keep talking, Rudy…_ and it was a good subject, too.

He smiled, and abruptly pushed himself up off the blanket, extended his hand down to Aurora. "Do they teach you the Charleston at finishing school?"

"Of course not. Don't you know it's uncouth?" She smiled that incredible, winning smile, took his hand, and he pulled her up, unfolding her legs from under her with such grace Rudy was momentarily distracted.

"Where shall we start… you're wearing a good skirt for Balboa." He smirked at her, sharing in her knowledge that she was beautiful. She smirked back, twisted her hand in his, assumed dancing frame.

Rudy laughed out loud. "Well done, Ms. Sinistra. Now if you don't mind, I'll lead." He pressed his hand against hers, took another step towards her, pressed his other hand firmly against the small of her back. "Just keep your balance, follow me and don't look at your feet."

He started dancing, noticed her look down. "No no—look up." She looked up, tripped, cursed and blushed.

"Look at me." He tilted her face towards his, stared into those crystalline eyes, pressed himself closer. "You just have to feel the steps. Don't watch them. Don't think about them. The Bal is about keeping close as much as anything else. If you stick with me, we dance. If you pull away, we fall apart." At Aurora's heavy swallow, Rudy chuckled under his breath. "Listen to what I'm saying. When I step, my leg pushes yours. My hip pushes yours. You just follow. No—Look at me." He pressed against her again. "And push back. Because when I step backwards… your leg has to follow mine. Forward, and back. Forward, and back…"

He held her gaze that time, stepped his way through a slow Bal without knocking Aurora over again, felt her leg brush against his. He smiled at her. "You know, Aurora—I enjoy your company."

The wind chose that moment to ruffle his hair and chill the evening around them—and they were each glad to have the other close. Rudy tightened his hand around hers, stepped forward, and leaned over… she instinctively leaned back, arching perfectly, not moving her feet, her hair hanging down behind her head.

He smiled. She smiled. Rudy leaned in… hesitated, raised his eyebrows, and then…

Neither of them could contain the laugh. Rudy pulled her back up, and she shuddered with her own nervous laughter. "We are cliché, aren't we." Rudy drew his wand, waved it at the picnic, which packed itself into the basket…

He pointed as the sun sank down behind the lake. "Venus, or Neptune, rising over there?"

"Jupiter," Aurora replied, laughing.

"Ah, that's your subject, isn't it." He smiled ruefully at her, patted her once on the shoulder to lead her back up towards the castle, and together they walked across the grounds, and back into school, unaware of anything else but each other.

* * *

_We respond gratefully to our reviewers on our profile page._


	6. Sacred Spaces

**The Sinistriad **

_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 6

* * *

Bella marched down the hallway, trying to contain the furious tears that kept escaping her dark eyes and wetting her cheeks. Snape followed close at her heels, his tattered robes sweeping the dirty floors and making the only sound to mingle with the soft _clap!_ of Bella's low heels. He kept trying to get a good look at her face, to discern just how upset she was, but she was moving fast.

"Where are you going?" He asked desperately.

"Leave me alone, Snape." She pronounced each word separately and harshly.

"Why did we leave the lake, again? That was stupid—we could've interrupted them with or without a kiss. Or should have thought of something far less haphazard—I thought you were better than to leap into poorly-made plans…"

Bella stopped abruptly and spun on her heel, causing Snape to collide into her. She grabbed his collar and jammed her wand into his throat, and he saw clearly for the first time her large, angry tears.

"We humiliated him, and on that count alone he would blister us with his revenge, but no—it's not just that, you useless halfblood beggar! Your smartass little crush is luring him in. He likes her. He _likes_ her, shitblooded squibspawn whore—" Bellatrix stomped her foot furiously, throwing Snape away from her. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT," She shrieked. "You whine like a two year old, you always do, and you came in whining and ruined everything—"

"…so you do like him…"

Bella cursed so loudly, Snape feared a professor would come breathing down their necks any moment, though it might have been easier to bear than Bella's fury and the random swipes of her wand.

"When I agreed to this, I said I would help you hook up with Aurora. And damnit, that is what I'm going to do!" She barked. "I'm not going to let you spoil anything else with your stupid foolish tongue. I'm calling the shots. Circe strike me down if I don't have them broken up before…before…" She had gotten so angry, her fists were raised and her face was threatening a new shade of red.

"…before Christmas?" Snape offered timidly.

Bella, however, suddenly froze in her fury and the millions of light bulbs above her head illuminated the spot in which she stood.

"That's it…"

"What? What's it?" Snape didn't like the evil glimmer that had come over her.

"The Yule Ball…what better place to humiliate Aurora and Rudy…"

"Yule what?"

"I'm calling the shots!" She bellowed, leveling her wand at him. Snape held up his hands reflexively as her wicked grin grew and she plotted her plan aloud. "Everyone will be there. All of Rudy's friends, all the Slytherins and jealous Ravenclaws…we won't even have to work hard to get this to work. It'll just happen naturally. But first we have to make sure they go together."

"Who? Who go together? Rudy and Aurora? But I was hoping to—"

"No, you're going with me. Rudy and Aurora have to go together in order for this to work…" Bella tapped her slender fingers against her lips, her wand still lazily pointed in Snape's direction. "Aurora will be wrapped around his finger by then, and not expecting it in the least. You'll run after her, of course, to console her…all hero-like…yes. Yes this will work well. Very well…"

Snape didn't know what he feared more. The fact that he had a wand pointed at the tip of his long nose, or the evil plotting that was going on inside Bella's head. He swallowed and steeled himself. Confusing or not, he would do anything to get Aurora back…even follow Bellatrix Black to the edge of her insanity.

* * *

"Where _have_ you been?"

The words sounded so much like her mother's Aurora was removed from her trance only to double-take the inquirer. When she saw Narcissa staring at her with big curious eyes, though, Aurora smiled slyly, shrugged, and fell into the chair across the table from her, the library quite still this time of night.

Narcissa awaited an answer, the dreamy expression on Aurora's face hinting to an untold series of events. Not only that, Aurora was never late for a study session and after waiting an hour, Cissy was sure there was a good reason behind the tardiness. And now that it appeared Peeves and Quidditch injury could be ruled out, that only left one option: Rodolphus Lestrange. She watched the half-blood remove her books, quills, and parchment from the dirty old school bag and grimaced at the sight of the crooked, near featherless quill.

"We should get you a new one of those," She remarked, nodding at the naked quill. Aurora shrugged again.

"Why? It does the job."

"Your mother would be ashamed that you make Arthur Weasley look rich in comparison. I won't even mention your grandmother. Or your aunts."

Aurora chuckled quietly, shook her head, and opened her first book. The sooner she got this homework done, the sooner she could retreat to the astronomy tower and continue daydreaming about her evening with Rudy. The moments replayed in her head, soft and muted like a beloved black and white movie. Close-up shots of the expressions on his face; of the moments when his hand brushed her skin; of the way he looked at her, the charming smile… What if, just _what if_, he was actually sincere?

Narcissa tapped her long manicured nails on the table to get Aurora's attention.

"Your ink, Aurora. You're dripping it all over the place!"

Sure enough Aurora's thoughts had kept her from writing the first line of homework. The dejected ink on her dejected quill was dripping steadily to form a small black pool on the parchment.

Aurora cursed quietly and grabbed her wand to siphon it up, reminding herself how little it paid to indulge in stupid daydreams.

Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "Earth to Aurora. Did muggles abduct you from the astronomy tower the other night? What's going on?"

Aurora smoothed the parchment and dipped her quill again, keeping her eyes of Narcissa.

"No, no muggles….though it may as well be just as strange," She wrote her name carefully on the top of the parchment, Narcissa's eyes glued to her face, awaiting a continuation of the explanation. Finally Aurora set aside her quill and looked up with a slight blush. "I…_danced_ with Rudy. Earlier, during our picnic. And I…I think we almost kissed…"

Cissy was pale by nature, a beautiful snow-white complexion that complimented her equally light colored hair. But now, a soft blush consumed her cheeks and her sharp eyes blinked several times. "…_What?!_"

Aurora winced at the shriek and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. "Not so loud!" She shushed. "I'm not sure we did. I mean, neither of us could bring ourselves to do it. Which makes me think he's not serious about it. You know how I've been speculating this to be some sort of set up, just to get another good laugh at the half-blood…but we _danced_, Cissy! You know how much I love to dance! And he's marvelous at it! If only I'd had him as my training partner at school, not that dimwit Robert made of two left feet—"

"_You almost kissed Rodolphus Lestrange_?" Clearly Cissy had heard nothing else. Her eyes were larger than Aurora had ever seen them before.

Aurora shook her head. "I don't know! Maybe! I think so…I mean, he dipped me, and he had that look…maybe I was just imagining it. Wishful thinking right?" She laughed nervously, now wishing she hadn't brought it up, but Narcissa looked both amazed and appalled.

"Are you _out of your mind_, Aurora?" Cissy asked in a hoarse whisper. "You are dealing with the big time now! Rodolphus Lestrange is not just some fling you kiss for the heck of it! If word gets out that you like him…"

"I never said that!" Aurora cut in defensively. "_He's_ the one who drug me outside for a picnic, and then asked me to dance! I was just…obliging…"

"No one 'just obliges' Rudy Lestrange. Look at you! You floated in on cloud nine, couldn't bring yourself to even write a sentence without daydreaming, and now you're blushing and grinning like an idiot!" Cissy clasped her face in both hands, in utter disbelief. "Are you sure this isn't some sort of joke Aurora?"

"Why? He can't just like me because he likes me?" Aurora shot back, and Narcissa pursed her lips.

"I didn't mean that. I just…you said it yourself. All this time you've been speculating that it was some sort of set up, or horrible joke…are you sure you're not just getting too wrapped up in all this?"

Aurora opened her mouth, then shut it again. Narcissa had a point and she knew it. It had been her fear all along, and the thought still haunted her in the back of her mind…but the evening had been so wonderful. So perfect. Aside from Rudy getting smart about her parents, Aurora had really enjoyed the time spent with him. He had class, he had wit, he had charm and sex appeal and a sarcastic edge to him that was fun to toy with. As long as Aurora overlooked his major flaws—and his past pranks—he was a decent guy…but part of her was wary, whether she was on cloud nine or not.

She sighed and rested her chin on her hand, looking up despairingly at Narcissa.

"I just…I've never _had_ this before, Cissy! I've never had anyone interested in me who wasn't interested in laughing at me!" She nodded at Narcissa. "You? You have your pick of the guys. They adore you. You're beautiful, and pureblood, and sexy… There's no comparison! But my blood has been enough to keep me segregated my whole life. It doesn't matter how much I excel in class, how I dress, how I act…because either way, I am a dirty half-blood."

"Aurora, you're—"

Aurora raised her hand and cut her off. "Save the speech. I don't need sympathy here. I'm just saying…this is exciting for me. To have somebody, a guy, notice me and want to be around me…and not just any guy, but Rodolphus Lestrange…well it's like straight out of a fairy tale. It's like Romeo and Juliet!"

Narcissa raised an eyebrow, "Who?"

"Nobody," Aurora laughed and dismissed it with a wave of her hand, sitting up and stuffing her supplies back in her bag. "I think I'm going to the tower…I can't do this tonight. I'm sorry. I just want to bask in the good while it lasts. Because Circe knows it won't be long before reality resumes and I'm just a nobody again."

She smiled, but Narcissa saw the sadness hidden behind those strong eyes. She felt for her friend, she really did, but to tell her it would all turn out okay was giving false hope in her opinion. She knew Rudy and she knew his Slytherin friends. The trap was going to be sprung sooner or later. And from what Narcissa could see, poor Aurora was slowly moving right into the palm of Rudy's hand. As Aurora's friend, she should step in, do something; but all Aurora seemed willing to let her do was wait for the heartache and provide a shoulder when it hit.

* * *

_It's tragic. Unfair,_ Snape thought to himself, staring at the cauldron fire over his potions textbook, sweating slightly from the heat of it. It made his hair hang longer and lankier and greasier than it always did, but this is where he felt most himself. Fire was company. Fire was friendly, if you could control it. A good weapon.

Fire, after all, was fascinating. How it moved so fluidly, how it should be understood as less than that—fire was vapor, gas, and yet… functionally… so solid…

He caught himself reaching out to touch it again, to caress it like steam simmering out of a cauldron, and jerked his hand back. Severus rubbed his eyes and shut them for a moment, blinking away the spots that the fire left in his vision.

Yes, the thought came back to him, now. Tragic. He had been thinking about the tragedy, of how much it hurt to achieve something that was supposed to make you so happy. How strange. Yet it was fixable. He would make it right, undo the tragedy. Make it into comedy, all misunderstandings and happy endings. He hated to think of hurting Aurora, but if it would get her back… if it would put them together, it was ultimately best, wasn't it?

Potion bubbled like muck, bright blue breaking the stony surface. Ravenclaw colors, he thought. Yes, it was right. It was his right. She was _his_ friend. His best friend. His love, better than Lily Potter ever could have been. And by rights, that made her _his woman_. This was about destroying Rudy, not Aurora. It was Rudy's fault she'd be hurt.

Severus checked the book, frowned at it, glanced at the potion… and then stirred it twice more than recommended with his wand, squinted at the potion, and then turned counterclockwise.

It turned a picturesque, stunning blue. _Blue like Aurora's eyes. _He stared at it for a moment, then turned his hooked nose back low towards his textbook, and dripped sweat into the print as he wrote his notes beside the accepted instructions.

* * *

"Stupid fucking squirrels. Accursed chattering all the damn time." Bellatrix kicked aside their corpses as she strode through the forest.

She found a suitable mound of earth, sat down on it, hugged her knees, and seethed. How dare he. How dare any of them—the tears poured down her cheeks, silent and furious, her breath quick, her teeth grinding. She was Bellatrix Black, she was a pureblood princess, didn't any of them know what was due her for that kind of blood? They _clearly_ saw it, and still chose to treat her with such disrespect. Unacceptable! It would not be borne, she would not bear it—they would learn what it meant to disrespect the power that goes with such purity of blood, didn't they listen to the teachers talk? Didn't they know of what she was capable?!

She stood, decimated a tree with a single spell, watched the top quarter of it rip branches off of its neighbors as it fell back towards its blackened stump. The noise did not sate her. She shrieked her rage into the night, tearing at her own throat, whirled around the other way, took out another three—she waited a moment, roared again, sweeping her wand through the air—forked lightening shot out of it and cleaved treetop and stump into bit, the air cracking with electricity and burning sap and smoked wood.

She panted. _LOOK_. Look at what she was. Of course she could handle this meaningless squibspawn. If she wanted to change a situation, she would do it. It was that simple. _Look at it. Mess of ash and smoke._

Her heart-rate was going down now. She wiped her face, corrected her posture.

_Walking. Walk. Walk out of here NOW. _She took a deep breath, turned on her heel, and strode back out the way she had come, blasting her path through the forest without looking back a single time.

* * *

Rudy had his arm knotted around his head. Fingers stained with ink, he was bent low over his parchment, scratching his back oddly and absently as he ran over the words again. Time had worn on this way for hours, curfew had come and gone, and still Rudy sat in the recesses of the library attic knotted over the carefully inked words.

"I'll race the clock and get there first… count the blossoms as they burst…"

He weighed the meter in his mind, sighed, and then abruptly spread out his arms, arched his back, and gave an enormous stretch. There was just something about it. Something didn't fit. He read the stanza again, couldn't pick it out.

He absently looked out of the window, twirling his quill in his hands, getting more ink all over himself without noticing. He could see every Hogwarts tower from this window—he counted them… and there, standing just beyond Ravenclaw tower, the moon rose over the Astronomy spire.

He got up without thinking about it, shoved the sheaf of papers and stack of books back into his secret box. He snapped the lid shut, hardly paying attention to it as it magically shrunk to the size of his hand, and he stuck it back in the rafters where it wouldn't be noticed. He didn't bother cleaning up the desk, but continued to roll the quill in his fingers, whistling as he descended the staircase and strode out of the library, not bothering to pause for Filch, or Mrs. Norris. They were afraid of him. Always had been, for no reason that Rudy could ever fathom. Never an unkind word had drifted from the caretaker's lips, and his cat shied away from Rudy every time he passed.

Rudy let his mind wander. What a curious thing it would be to paint two skies over the same land. How would you manage the light? Could it be done, to throw moonlight and sunlight over the same earth? Silver and gold?

He ascended the steps without thinking about them, one after the other, letting his thoughts drift away from the poem he'd been beating away it. It had needed to rest, to age in his mind a little bit, before he went back and tried to force it out of his system.

He pushed he way onto the roof of the astronomy tower and absently looked around, wondering for a moment what had drawn his feet here. Two skies… he looked up, how the moon seemed to loom over him at this height… as if it was drawn to the tower, taking up more and more of the horizon as he stared at it. It was a breathtaking sight, he decided. _Night sky from the astronomy tower._ _Sounds like a painting._

He looked around again, and mutely noticed Aurora. She was staring off at the stars, as though she listened to them speak—as though she hung on their every word. Staring at the skies the way that Rudy listened to poetry, the way he reveled in words and color. It was so passionate a moment that he looked away, blushing, cleared his throat—let her know she shouldn't be staring that way, that people were watching. She turned to look at him, dazed, curious, but unchanged, like a cat that had scented a new and pleasant smell, a casual, innocent trust. Immediately, Rudy opened his mouth to speak. What had he come here to do, to say?

"Er—I—I um—" His inky fingers twirled the quill. "Er…" He ran a hand through his hair, left it there, it was mussed and sticking up oddly. "Er ummm…" He lapsed into an utterly frozen and very embarrassed silence.

Aurora waited a few silent moments as the boy gathered his thoughts, though admittedly she had never seen him so lost for words before. Wasn't he the one who always had a snide remark, a clever cover-up? Wasn't he notorious for always being suave and never losing his cool? Why was it that now he seemed so confused, lost even, when just yesterday he had been so sure of himself?

Aurora finally felt his own awkwardness making her uncomfortable, so she tried her best to help him out with a simple, "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Erm…yes! Yeah, it's amazing." He seemed to welcome this introduction to a topic and relaxed a hair. "I can see why you come up here…are you doing school work or just stargazing?"

"Both. Though the work will take twice as long since I seem to get carried away with my own thoughts and forget what I'm supposed to be doing…" She chuckled softly and nodded at the student work benches. Her abandoned shoes sat off to one side, with her half-completed homework, weighted down from the grip of the wind by a handful of pebbles.

Rudy fidgeted again, still wary of being up here with no real purpose in mind and feeling as though he were intruding on her private space. Like an unwelcome guest at a tea party for two.

Aurora studied his ruffled appearance, the ink coating his fingers and the fine quill that he twirled uneasily between them. _He has nice hands_, she thought to herself. Not too big, but strong and capable…yet delicate enough to maneuver a fragile quill and wield it well. And that hair…what had he done to his hair? She barely covered the laugh. "What brings you up here so late?" Without thinking she had slid off her bench, stepped forward and calmly smoothed his hair. But her fingers only ran through it once before she realized exactly what she was doing, and she backed away almost immediately. "Sorry, your hair—nevermind." She drew the woolen shawl tighter around her shoulders, blushing.

Rudy seemed to glance up at his own forhead, as if to see what she had done to his hair, and looked mildly surprised at the gesture.

"Thanks…" He responded quietly. He didn't have an answer to her question, and it was obvious. "I…just thought I'd come check on Jupiter…"

Aurora gave him a sidelong look, a small smile threatening her lips, and she folded her arms casually. "Jupiter is fine. Still in the sky, as it was last night, and the night before."

Rudy realized what a stupid excuse this was, and he laughed nervously. "Oh. Good."

Aurora chewed her lower lip for a moment, sucking in her breath and holding it while she contemplated what to say to him. He wasn't leaving, which was a good sign, but he definitely didn't seem comfortable up here either…and this was Aurora's spot. Did she really want to give up her privacy, her sanctuary? And of course, Narcissa's voice was strong in her mind, but Aurora couldn't get past the inky fingers and the embarrassed blush she saw for the first time in his cheeks.

"Would you care to join me, perhaps?" She asked hesitantly, and then realized what a softy she was becoming and quickly added, "I know it would be unforgivable and completely un-cool to be seen up here with me, so you needn't. But since you're up here, it's only polite to offer."

She was kicking herself. She felt bipolar, the way she was soft and kind one minute, and distant and cold the next. Why couldn't she make up her damn mind?! It wasn't that hard. She either liked him or she didn't. If she did, she was supposed to be flirty and fun and kind to him so he would reciprocate the feelings. But if she didn't, if she followed Cissy's advice and steered clear, then she needed to knock off the politeness and kick him out without further ado.

When Rudy failed to answer her right away, a look of disbelief on his face, Aurora smirked. "I know astrology is beyond such pureblood ways of thinking, but I can explain it in simpler words if it would help you appreciate it… anyway, I enjoy your company."

The words were out before she could stop them, and she almost hit herself in the face. Once again, she couldn't keep up the snobby pretence. She was falling, and falling hard for this guy. And it was really becoming a problem, now that she was opening up and letting him _know_ that that was the case.

_Bloody hell Aurora_, she thought, _you said you'd throw yourself off the astronomy tower. Well now might be the best time, before this goes any further._

And if she couldn't keep her mouth shut, which she knew she wouldn't be able to do, the jump was looking more and more like an option…then again, if _he_ were to keep her mouth occupied…

Rudy wasn't recovering. It was her spot. It was her thinking spot, her personal, private space. Why was he here? What did he think he was doing? No place to seduce a woman, not in this kind of sacred ground… "I—I'll just—I'll leave. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. You're right—the moon is nice. Glad about Jupiter." _The moon is nice? What?! _He blushed a deeper shade of red than before, and turned to go. It was all wrong. He didn't know what it was supposed to have been, but it was not going well. Best to just walk away.

"You afraid of the dark then, Lestrange?"

Rudy stopped and looked over his shoulder, his quill suddenly still in his hands.

"Or maybe you're intimidated that a half-blood knows more about something than you do?" Aurora was livid, close to tears. How _dare_ he come up here just to embarrass her!

He turned to face her, utterly confused. He hadn't done anything except apologize and try and get out of her hair. Why the sudden flare of temper?

"You know, it helps when you do your homework on parchment instead of on your fingertips—Maybe that's just common sense only known to Ravenclaws, though—maybe that's why we all have better grades than you—"

"I—I wasn't doing homework," Rudy protested.

"What then?" She did not wait for him to respond. "Busy getting your hands dirty—what a perfect metaphor—"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

She patronizingly spelled it out for him. "Trouncing around with dirty little halfbloods, not even _showering—_getting your hands dirty—you foul—you—you—"

Rudy found his own temper rising. "Dirty pureblood?"

"Exactly! Wandering in here like you own the place, not even bothering to avoid FILCH—though if half the stories are true, even HE lays down on the ground in front of your fancy feet—" Aurora ripped her bag off the ground and began stuffing her things into it. "SO SORRY I got in your way, Master Lestrange—I'll go someplace else so you can have the WHOLE TOWER to do whatever it was you came up here for— sorry, but I can't get the planets out of your way, YOUR HIGHNESS—"

Rudy found himself shouting just to get a word in edgewise. "I CAME UP HERE TO THINK!" His voice was so loud it startled them both, and Aurora took a hesitant step backward. "Just like you! Only I spend more of my time INSIDE the castle on chilling nights, stuffed up in a hole in the library attic, because every place else is too crowded and too social to get any work done. Nobody will leave me ALONE long enough unless I'm hiding."

"What a uniquely terrible problem to have, Rudy. I pity you. Truly I do."

"Well then maybe I'll take me and my pity and my stupid poems back to the attic hole and leave you and the moon to each other's grey company."

She noticed. She noticed the word poem, and odd disbelief crept across her face. _Poetry? He writes poetry?_

_Deny. _Rudy passed a hand over his face, stunned at his own carelessness. _Deny, deny, deny. _

"You write poems, Rudy?"

Rudy blushed, looked away. There was no use denying it, not when she saw everything, clear down to his soul with those precious deep blue eyes, so blue they even shone in the dark. "So? What do you care?! Poetry's probably beyond halfblood ways of thinking anyway, squibspawn."

She quirked half a smile at him. It was as if she hadn't heard a word he'd said. He blushed deeper, hunched his shoulders, looked down at the quill he was absently turning in his fingers again. "The meter is off. I just wanted to walk and to think, take a break from the words running pell mell around my skull… and I ended up here. I'm sorry I got in your way. If you were thinking, I'm sorry I interrupted your thought. Thinking time—thinking space—is precious." _Lestrange. STOP TALKING. _

She blinked, and then recovered. "Careful, Lestrange. You have a reputation to protect—"

"I don't care if it's muggle—" he was defending himself still—"plenty of pureblood wizards were wordsmiths—writers—just because you use a quill instead of a wand doesn't mean it's worthless—"

She laughed out loud at that. "I promise I won't tell anybody."

"Even that I hide in the library attic?" He jumped on the end of her words.

"Who'd believe me?"

Rudy let out a nervous chuckle. "Good point. Although I'd probably get ambushed in the attic." He looked away when she didn't respond. _I hate it when we lapse into silence—what is wrong with you Rudy—go and get her—she's right there for the taking—_"So. Even though I'm all inky fingered, I'd love that astrology lesson." His smile was maybe more timid than usual, but he was Rudy Lestrange; and perhaps the humility added something to his expression after all.

* * *

Aurora furrowed her brow, but her bag slowly lowered itself back onto the bench, half packed and a tear at the bottom reopening from the stress of all her books. By the looks of it, it had been a tear that had been fixed many times already. Her foot kicked at the ground uneasily and she studied Rudy, her temper cooling though her suspicion still high. She debated telling him that she couldn't even show him the chart of the stars, because someone had used it for a dot-to-dot drawing of a crude symbol (practical joke, no doubt, by an Avery or Goyle)…but then she realized what a loser she was to even _have _a star chart, let alone how stupid it was to consider using it to actually educate Rodolphus Lestrange. Any other girl would take this opportunity to flirt and woo Rudy, to use their charm and wit and long eyelashes to snag the man of their dreams. But Aurora didn't have it in her. She had been caught so off guard—everything about her dress suggested a long night of studying and being completely cut off from society. With gray sweatpants, a white tee, and her black woolen wrap Aurora was less then stunning and her hair was being held loosely in place by an extra quill. Why was it, whenever he came around, she looked her worst? She never had been one to keep up appearances anyway, but _seriously_…!

"…yeah? I mean, I doubt you need it…you took astronomy a year ago? Two years? You could probably teach me…" She laughed nervously and scratched at her cheek absently. She saw him look down and quickly assured him that he was welcome to stay anyway.

He seemed to relax at this assurance and she quietly dropped her belongings to the ground, and sat down on the edge of the bench where she'd been sitting to make room for him. "You may get cold in that…" She had hardly gotten the words out before he had pulled out his wand, and easily transfigured his tee into a comfortable sweater. "…wow."

He shrugged. "I like transfiguration. Can you tell?"

They shared a quiet laugh as Rudy eased himself down on the bench next to her.

"A transfigurationist and a poet…you manipulate objects and words…" Aurora almost added _"and women"_ but held her tongue in light of the awkwardness already pending.

Rudy nodded and continued to twirl the quill, keeping his eyes glued to the sky as he found it less intruding then looking at her. "Something like that. Transfiguration is useful. A command of transfiguration gets you anything you need. Poetry… just is."

"So you find control in transfiguration and freedom in language." Aurora concluded. "Makes sense…"

Rudy smiled slightly and glanced sideways at her. "And you are an observer."

"I would not have guessed you to be a poet."

He propped his feet on the railing as she had done, stowed his wand and continued to roll his quill in his inky figertips. "But once told, you put two and two together easy enough." He let his eyes scan the glittering expanse in front of them. "You must spend hours up here, memorizing all the details until they make sense. Like a pattern. Anything you look at for long enough can be understood. I bet you treat life like that, too."

"…unfortunately the patterns and the possibilities in life are just as hard to reach as the sky…" Aurora said softly, surprised at his own observation. Suddenly the awkwardness seemed distant and she felt strangely comfortable discussing this with him. Discussions of poetry and the stars…it didn't feel foreign to her. She smiled at the return of her calm, and shyly tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"Let me get that." Rudy wiped his inky fingers on his transfigured sweater and pulled his wand out. Tapping his quill twice, he reached out and brushed Aurora's loose lock of hair back, winding it around his quill and then tucking it in the back, crossing his quill with hers. "All better."

Aurora swallowed, her heart pounding from his touch and the friendly, unrestrained look he was giving her. She looked away, convinced she would bolt if he kept looking at her like that. By default, she launched into a brief astronomy lesson. Raising a finger, she pointed to three stars that had grown brighter as the night had progressed and said sheepishly, "That's my favorite constellation. Orion. There is a theory that the Pyramids of Giza were aligned to match Orion, because the dead kings became the God Osiris after death, and that God had a constellation "Sah" which is identical to Orion. So, the three king's souls of Giza became one star each of Orion." It was almost as if she had forgotten Rudy was there, the way she continued talking, pouring out her knowledge as if it were endless and the most common thing known to man. "More pyramids in Egypt fit the picture of the sky too. The two large pyramids at Dahshur are a match for the brightest two stars in the open cluster of Hyades…"

She paused suddenly and frowned, looking down at her study material. She thanked the darkness for hiding her blush.

Quietly she concluded. "…sorry. This is why I have few in the way of friends. I get…a _tad_…caught up in such things…I just find it fascinating—I didn't mean to bore you…I'm sorry…"

Rudy raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Enthusiasm isn't boring. Enthusiasm takes something plain and boring, and gives it life and color. It is the motivation behind poetry—to love the mundane. To speak prettily of something and give it meaning." When she didn't turn back to meet his gaze, Rudy began quoting, to prove his point.

"_I went for a walk over the dunes again this morning to the sea, then turned right along the surf rounded a naked headland and returned along the inlet shore; it was muggy sunny, the wind from the sea steady and high, crisp in the running sand, some breakthroughs of sun but after a bit continuous overcast; the walk liberating, I was released from forms, from the perpendiculars, straight lines, blocks, boxes, binds of thought into the hues, shadings, rises flowing bends and blends of sight; I allow myself eddies of meaning."_

He inhaled slowly, and stuck another hand in his hair. "You see? A simple walk along the beach becomes so much greater. It is a blurring of the edge between self and the world, it blends things together in a haze of muggy heat. And tell me you didn't feel the sand beneath your feet! That is another great thing about poetry… things come alive from ink and paper. You can weave any image with poetry and make it real."

He was quoting again, the words spilling out of him. He had to make her see! He saw so clearly the feeling she had when she talked about the stars. She had to see this too. He must show her what he meant. He unpropped his feet, leaned on his knees, stared just to her right and gestured, as though he could see the things he spoke about. He had to know something she would like. He had to. He shut his eyes tightly, and then drew breath.

"_What is it about the stars we can't shake? What pulse, what tide drop pulls us like vertigo upward, what height-like reversal urges us towards their clear deeps? Tonight, for instance, something is turning behind my eyes, something unwept, something unnamable, spinning its line out. Who is to say the hijacked heart has not returned to its cage? Who is to say some angel has not breathed in my ear?_"

And there, his eyes had eased open, and he had eased backward, propping his feet up again. He had forgotten her, losing himself in the sky just as she did, as if the words gave a meaning to their twinkling that he could not divine without them. As though speaking the words into the air spun the image from the fabric of reality, solidified it, made it into being.

_I am an angel that has breathed in his ear. I have hijacked his heart. _She was breathless and giddy with it. What was wrong with her? She needed to calm down—but how rare it was to find anyone like this, anyone that could speak with her like this. Who cared who he was?

"_Starlight make me insoluble._ Do you ever wish you could just drown in it?" He smiled, grinning at the sky, meeting it, drawing it down to himself. He breathed for a time, just staring, basking in moonlight and starlight and blackness. He looked over towards her.

He spoke quietly, as lost in those crystal-blue eyes as he had just been in the heavens. "_You_, Aurora, _who see the stars as mistletoe berries burning in a black tree…_" he brushed her hair back behind her ear, licked his lips. "_You surely, seeing I am a bowl of kisses…_" he was so close, the breath of his words brushed her lips… "_should put your mouth to mine and drink of me._"

The books slid off her lap and landed with a dull _thud!_ on the ground. She felt breathless and restless; where had the world gone? A moment ago she had been seated on the astronomy tower but now…now she was flying. It was as if she had been willingly tossed from the brick into oblivion where gravity did not exist and life was but a notion. Who was she, where was she, what was she? None of it mattered; the stars cared not for such nonsensical detail. Heaven had opened its gates to her with the touch of his lips and now that she was there, she had no intention of going back. She didn't know what the temperature was. If indeed she was feeling so warm, why was she trembling like it was the coldest day in winter? The imprint of his fingers clasping her face burned into her skin and her hand instinctively rested itself on his chest, the beat of his heart growing steadily. It pulsed with hers, moved with hers, flew with hers to the heavens and back. She almost felt it there in her palm, holding it and finally seeing it exposed. _This is what it feels like…_

There was no holding her back. Her movements were not of her own accord, her thoughts replaced with cloud nine and her desire to stay like this far outweighed her desire to keep up any front. Who cared about reputation? Who care about blood status or class? She certainly didn't and she expressed it in the way she kissed him back, almost pleading with him to keep her lost in his words, his kiss, this heavenly touch. The worries of school, family, and life even, seemed nonexistent. Distant. Completely and utterly pointless. The words that had flowed brilliantly off his tongue had given rise to a whole new sense of passion within her. She had been removed from her spot and taken elsewhere. And when he kissed her, he gave her wings. She saw no boundaries, no boarders, no hindrances…just him and the heavens. Her observations had not failed, there was a whole new life here, in this moment. How she wanted to embrace it and hold it like a fragile flower that was being threatened by the wind. Already, even now, she felt the wind. It tangled her loose strands of hair and made her shiver, and when she and Rudy parted slowly, only then did she notice the cold…

Her eyes opened slowly, reluctantly, afraid of what she would see…and though it was not the laughing group of Slytherins, or an irate professor…it was the astronomy tower.

She met Rudy's penetrating gaze and found herself completely immobile, unable to think straight enough to say something…what does one say after such a kiss anyway? After _any_ such kiss for that matter? Aurora had never been kissed before, never experienced such an out of body feeling, never even been so swept off her feet that she was unable to regain her balance. _'Thank you'_ just sounded retarded and _'I love you'_ made her vulnerable, more vulnerable, and the longer she looked at him, the more she worried she had disappointed. But even with that new worry creeping up on her (could one even practice kissing? How did you know if the partner was a good kisser if you had never _been_ kissed? She had no idea!), Aurora was still so taken with him. His words were like honey on her heart—they stuck. How she longed for another taste, and he was so close! Breathing only inches from her face…Circe, what was she thinking? She shouldn't have leaned in to kiss him again, but she couldn't stop herself. It wasn't desperate, but it was her unspoken _thank you_. It was quick and light, but she needed it to replace the words that were caught up somewhere in her throat and simply refusing to come.

This time, however, she smiled as she pulled away and hesitantly removed her hand from his chest, where it had been gripping his sweater rather tightly. Perhaps it was merely her subconscious fighting to keep him for eternity.

He grinned at her. Some part of him was saying, _'Still got it…'_ and another part of him was saying, _'She's a natural!'_ And another part of him still was saying, _'Again…'_

He brushed her cheek and smiled. "My starshine."

She leaned into the curve of his hand, laying her whole face against the warmth of his fingers and palm, staring sweetly up at him.

"Come here," he said gently, though really he went to her, wrapping himself around her on the bench and pulling her back against his chest. He tapped his wand once in the air, and a blanket sprang out of the tip, unrolling as though it had been smashed into the very core of the wand itself. He pulled it around them, sure to cover both of their feet, and tuck it in tightly to keep out the wind.

"Tell me more about Orion. I like your enthusiasm."

They were up late. Aurora gave a short lecture on Orion… and then Rudy randomly picked out other constellations and stars, exchanging snatches of myth for bits of poetry, the flow of conversation drifting around the edges of any and every subject. Eventually, they both were yawning. He pecked her once on the cheek, and then wrapped her in the blanket, his arm around her shoulder. He carried her back all the way up Ravenclaw tower, kissed her again—and longer—outside the door to her common room, and bade her goodnight.

As the door swung shut behind her, Rudy's grin did not fade. He wore it all the way down to the dungeons and into the Slytherin boy's dormitory, hugely excited about seeing her again the next morning just for breakfast. She was made of starlight and moonbeams, and she was beautiful, and she was his.

* * *

_Poetic excerpts in this chapter are taken from _North American Bear_, by Charles Wright; _The Appeal_, by D. H. Lawrence; and _Corson's Inlet_, by A. R. Ammons. _

* * *

_We gratefully respond to our reviewers on our profile page._


	7. An Adoring Public

**The Sinistriad  
**_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 7

* * *

The story had spread; thick, rank and sticky, like burned potion dregs. One Gryffindor saw Rudy carrying Aurora through the castle, and spread it through the entire house; two Ravenclaw girls, sneaking back from the Slytherin common room, spotted them kissing at the entrance of the Ravenclaw common room; and by then, conversation was brutally infected with Rudy's new choice of woman. While Aurora slept soundly through the early hours of the morning, the rest of Hogwarts was buzzing. Some didn't believe it. Some _refused_ to believe it. The three students who had witnessed the couple the night before were the center of attention everywhere they went. They must have told the story a thousand times, and each time it got a bit more exaggerated. Had the Hufflepuff common room suddenly disappeared, it would not have been as big a shock as what was being spread now about Rudy and Aurora. The first Quidditch match of the season was upcoming, Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin, and still nobody could talk about it. Narcissa waited, huffing impatiently and tapping her feet when she had a moment's pause; Bellatrix had swept into a thorough disappearance; Snape paced the common room, not content to sit in his usual chair and brood. He wanted to catch sight of Rudy, to confront him, to remedy his mistaken impression that Aurora was available, and he wanted to do it immediately. He didn't care about Bella's plan anymore. He didn't care that Rudy was twice his size with more friends to back him up. All he cared was that he got Aurora back. He was not losing. Not this time. Not again.

Rudy awoke to the rumors, but was greeted with both shock and congratulations. He had done it; he had successfully snagged the one girl everyone thought would be impossible to snag. Aloof unless provoked, mysterious without fail, beautiful without question... untouchable... and yet Rudy had the audacity to claim her anyway. Most of the boys entered into an unspoken agreement to shrug off this sudden fascination. It's not like it would last. A mistress, really, was all she was. Irrelevant. It's not like they would sit at table together, or anything. Heartbroken girls cried, or flirted extravagantly just to get his attention. Others took to ignoring him. But the rest… the rest whispered dangerous words in not-so-discreet corners, and glared darkly in each other's company.

Oblivious to all of it, Aurora overslept. Waking to find she'd nearly missed a class, she didn't care. It was for a good cause. A great case. Even now she was smiling as her sweet dreams were replaced with the bright sun and pleasant memories of last night. She would have been content to just lie in bed and reminisce, classes be damned, until she noticed a group of girls huddled on one bed at the other end of the room. Lavinia's bed, as usual, where she sat perched like a queen with the other girls surrounding her like ladies in waiting. The only pureblood among them, and weren't the Ravenclaw girls so proud to have her? Aurora rolled her eyes. They were whispering and giggling amongst themselves, some so severely she wondered what the occasion was. Apparently there was some good gossip, but Aurora didn't care. She had gossip that would blow them away if only they knew…but she had no intention of sharing. Last night had been just for her and she dreamily pulled herself out of bed still lost to her thoughts. The minute she moved, the huddled clan of girls all turned towards her and snickered. Aurora cast a curious glance at them as she continued to her trunk to fish out some clothes.

Inside Aurora's trunk were most of her earthly possessions. None of them were really worth much; just scattered mementos, mostly. Under the socks and the underwear and the few secondhand bits of clothes and jewelry was treasure. A note from her father that said simply; "You're sleeping, and you look perfect, AuraBelle. I love you." He had been there the next morning; with food, and a smile, instead of at the races. A ring her grandmother had given her when her grandfather died; it was old, and clunky, and had belonged to him, and Aurora loved it. Rocks, from all the places her parents had moved over the years. A pressed flower, nearly perfect, that she had picked up from the other dust blowing in the wind in Jordan. And Lisa, her simple doll from her wealthy, pureblood grandmother, with its soft cloth body and beautiful porcelain face, and hair so find it might have been real. Her grandmother had told her that it came with a charm. That if Aurora told the doll all the things she worried over at night, the doll would pick them up from her head when she fell asleep, and bring back happiness with the morning sunshine. Aurora had believed that, for a long time, and sometimes still Lisa sat with her in bed.

They were familiar. Smelled familiar, looked familiar. Aurora's trunk, more closely than anything or anywhere else, was home. She needed to remember to get something from Rudy, to put in here. He deserved a spot in her trunk. Maybe the quill, Aurora thought, absently reaching up to her hair and plucking it carefully from the mussed bun. She flung open the lid of her trunk with a smile, already wondering what she'd wear next hogsmeade weekend, when she didn't have to wear her uniform, and was greeted, as always, by Lisa's smiling face.

The doll stood on top of the rest of the things in her trunk, jinxed. It danced around, making obscene sexual gestures. Pinned to its chest was a note that read, _Aurora and Rudy sitting in a tree, f-u-c-k-i-n-g! _Aurora held her heart and stared at the doll for a minute, utterly horrified by the way it was mocking her. The laughter that rose from those behind her, though, displaced her momentary stun and tapped into her anger. With newfound fury she grabbed her wand and aimed it at the doll. It dropped back to her clothes harmlessly, and she snatched the note off before spinning on the girls with fire in her eyes.

Without so much as a word, she stupefied each and every one of the five girls, including the few who had tried running. Heather should have known better. Squat, and slow. Like hell she could have outrun Aurora. They toppled like flies, heads and elbows cracking on the hard floor below. Looking down at their frozen bodies, Aurora fumed and marched back to her trunk and fished for an inkbottle. When she found it, she went back to the girls and dripped some of the ink on their foreheads, using her wand to draw equally obscene words and images. She figured she would leave them frozen until the ink stained, and then she might consider revival. It would serve them all right to miss a class or two first.

"Gits," She grumbled under her breath, purposefully kicking one of the girls as she stepped over them.

Her temper somewhat sated, Aurora made her way into the bathroom where she was greeted with more unpleasant surprises by the jealous girls of her house. The mirror was covered with conjured ink, in phrases like, _"Half blood + Pure blood = still a filthy squibspawn"_ or, _"What do you get when a half-breed kisses a pureblood? A disappointed pureblood"_ and, _"Searching for potion to protect against STDs, 'Squibspawn transmitted diseases.'"_ Aurora's small vase of flowers had also been jinxed to jeer at her with phrases like, "Half-bloods blow for free!" They would then laugh and continue on taunting her, no doubt charmed with hundreds of insults. Aurora, near tears, stared in humiliation at the bathroom and then swept her wand around the room half-heartedly. The flowers incinerated and the mirror wiped itself clean. Unable to help herself, Aurora cried as she got ready for the day. She should have known better. This place was her last sanctuary; she should have known better than to risk it.

Stunned, Aurora spent more time getting ready then she meant to. She always spent a little extra time on Quidditch days; she took care to curl the ends of her hair so when she pinned it back, it didn't look like she had just rolled out of bed. Her untouched lip-gloss was finally used, though to no great extent since the taste still bothered her. She even ironed out her robe with the tip of her wand, in hopes that her usual worn clothes would be overlooked if her robe looked semi-decent. As she packed her bags, she worried about the remainder of the day. How many people knew? HOW did they know? Someone must have seen them…Circe, someone _had_ to have seen them…but how much had they seen?

Taking a deep breath, Aurora launched herself into the buzzing common room where she had no shortage of stares, sneers, giggles, comments, and people running up to her for an explanation. _Did you really do it? How far did you go? How long had this been going on? Was it true? Was she serious? How? When? Why?_ Aurora didn't answer anyone, nor did she stay long enough to hear the dirty comments or snide remarks tossed in her direction. Even though a few smiled and gave her meaningful congratulations, she wanted nothing more than to eat and get to class where a professor could silence the others. In the halls it was worse; it was near silent. Everyone she passed stopped talking to stare at her. Quidditch didn't bring this notoroiety, even captainship. She had never felt so unnerved in her life.

Once in the Great Hall, she nearly ran to a spot at the breakfast table. She didn't want to sit, to give people a chance to pounce on her, to stand still amid all the stares, but she couldn't face the halls again. Class in 10 minutes; she automatically slumped on a bench and pulled a book to her face, hoping to hide behind it. But once seated the chatter became clearer, and Aurora blushed as she heard her name emerge in over half the conversations. She heard snide remarks about her cleaned up appearance, remarks about being a half-blood, and of course, exaggerated stories being told and retold about her and Rudy. She felt trapped inside a nightmare and her appetite was quickly diminishing, despite the pleasant aromas. So Aurora simply stared at her book, blinking back tears, and trying to figure out how long until she was safe to hide in the back row of a classroom.

* * *

Rudy only needed five minutes in the Great Hall to search out Aurora, hiding behind an upside-down book, to receive the standing ovation from his table, to listen to the calls for story and get really, really pissed off. He sneered spectacularly at the applause, and before going to Aurora he approached one other person.

Grabbing the back of Severus' secondhand robes, Rudy pulled him bodily off the bench at the Slytherin table, his breakfast caught on the end of his hooked nose. Severus gained his feet, and Rudy wrapped a strong hand around his throat. "If I catch you spying on me ever again, Severus, I will reconfigure your insides so that you shit out your mouth and eat through your ass." He tightened his grip. "You're supposed to be her friend." Rudy threw him contemptuously backwards, shoved him to the floor.

Several teachers were approaching now, shouting. "What do you think you are doing? 10 POINTS FROM SLYTHERIN!" Rudy heard none of it. He pointed one threatening, solid finger at Severus, still sprawled on the ground, livid but helpless under the eye of the teachers.

"You stay away from us, Snivellus."

Rudy continued to stare at him hatefully as the teachers attempted to chastise him for his behavior and somebody declared that he had detention. Severus got up off the floor and with a half-sneer, half-tremble turned back to his breakfast. _Rudy _was angry at him? Rudy thought all this damn attention was his fault?_ Fine, let him think it. And may it serve them both right._

A couple of well-placed "yes sir" and "no sir" and "I'm sorry" lies later, Rudy headed towards Aurora. He sat down next to her, pointed his wand up in the air and started mumbling spells. Then he propped his book up next to hers.

"Are you okay?"

She glanced at him, the tears threatening again now that he was so close.

"Don't you listen to a word of this jealous thestral dung, Aurora. You look nice this morning, and we had a good time yesterday, and we are going to do it again sometime, right?" He dropped his book, moved towards her, took her into his arms. "Hey. Let's get out of here. I'll walk you to class."

He waved his wand in the air, shouted at the first set of eyes he found. "Don't you know staring is rude?"

They made it to the end of the Great Hall without any more interference. "You know," Rudy said slyly, "this sucks. But I'm still not going to go easy on you in Quidditch."

Aurora laughed, despite her simmering embarrassment.

"Good. I'm not one to do things the easy way…" She smirked half-heartedly up at him. "Besides I want to make it look like you were at least trying when I kick your rear."

Truthfully, Aurora knew he was the better flier and had the better team, but her arrogance just seemed natural on such a topic. The smack-talk felt good. Natural. Normal. It made her feel like yesterday hadn't been a joke. That she could seamlessly integrate that reality with the every-day one that involved Quidditch and her common room, homework and housepoints. She clutched it like a beggar clutched a golden coin, and talked of nothing else as they made their walk to the classroom. Aurora decided the stares and whispers were less threatening when she walked with him, and she made sure to stick close to his side. Rudy was accustomed to such attention and was barely touched by it. He seemed no less confident and he walked just as boldly as ever. The only difference was now he walked with her; the girl just a few days ago he would've walked by without a second glance. Aurora made a note to ask him about his sudden fascination, but for now she was happy to have him protecting her.

When he dropped her off at the classroom, he pecked her on the cheek just to scandalize those watching, and she gave him a reproachful grin. He winked and continued on to his own class and she watched him go with a content sigh, though she rather wished she didn't have to leave him. Once again she was alone and exposed, and she hastily found a seat in the back of the classroom. No sooner had the professor started talking, however, that there was a knock on the door and the Headmaster Dumbledore walked in. All eyes were on him and the class was utterly silent, waiting for the announcement, the detention, or the gossip that was about to follow his visit. Dumbledore gave a soft smile to the students as he made his way to the front of the room, his large maroon robes billowing behind him in regal sweeps. He whispered quietly to the professor and then called Aurora to the front of the class. The whispers intensified instantly. Aurora's mind raced—what had she done? And then it hit her; she had never recovered the girls in her room from the _stupefy_.

Her insides sank, but she kept a determined look on her face as she walked for what seemed like miles to meet Dumbledore. He greeted her with a thin smile and led her out of the room silently. If people hadn't been talking early, they certainly were now and Aurora hated how this day was going. As they walked, she caught Dumbledore watching her from the corner of his eye, but she made sure to give no hint of emotion despite her churning stomach. Things were bad enough without his pity.

"Unspoken magic, Miss Sinistra?" Dumbledore said at last, a cheery inflection in his voice. "I'm impressed. One would think you were working on it outside of class."

Indeed she had been. For a second she dared to believe she wasn't actually in trouble, but she knew better. Aurora nodded stiffly. "It works."

Dumbledore laughed quietly and ran a hand over his chin. "Yes it does. I'm sure the other professors will be pleased to hear of your progress, though they may be less pleased to hear of what you've been practicing on."

"…it was an experiment."

"Were you brushing up on your art skills as well?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at her. "I can't say I recognized all the expressions, though I recall something of the like once scratched on my bed post when I was a student here."

Aurora dared a glance at him. "They jinxed my grandmother's doll and made it do obscene gestures and pinned a note to it that was just as bad. Then in the bathroom—"

"I'm sure your head-of-house would like to hear your side of the story," Dumbledore cut in. "She has already spoken to the other five ladies and they have thus confessed that to be the story. The appropriate punishments have been dealt."

Aurora was silent for a moment. "They didn't have to see the Headmaster?"

"They did not use magic against another student."

He had a point, a sickeningly solid one, that drove Aurora to silence. When she faced the head of Ravenclaw, Professor Adisa, Aurora was unusually quiet. She was still embarrassed by the whole situation and she let Dumbledore do most of the talking, unable to repeat what the girls had written everywhere herself. More importantly, Aurora didn't feel the least bit repentant for what she did, and she thought keeping a still tongue might be the best way to cover it up. Professor Adisa, as Dumbledore had predicted, was indeed impressed by her use of wordless magic, but she regarded Aurora sternly about attacking other students with such a talent. Aurora nodded absently, staring at her feet and shrinking under the gaze of both professors. She might not regret the attack, but she was sorely regretting the disappointment she was sensing now.

The two professor's shared a look. "I think two week's detention, Miss Sinistra." Adisa concluded at last. "Starting tonight."

"WHAT?" Aurora blinked. "But—our first Quidditch match is tonight!"

"You are lucky you are not being suspended, Aurora. Most students would not get away with such behavior. But as the circumstances are rather unfair and I know you are a good student…" Adisa waved her hand in the air and trailed off.

Aurora gaped at her. Two weeks _and_ forced to miss the season's first Quidditch game? What was this? She had done nothing wrong except wake up!

"…if I may be so bold, Professor, perhaps it would serve her punishment better if she were allowed to play tonight." Dumbledore interjected quietly. Both Aurora and Adisa regarded him incredulously.

"How would that benefit her punishment, Headmaster?"

"Most all the staff and students will be at the game tonight, Professor, save for the girls that we have assigned to classroom cleaning. And we both know Filch will not be so observant as to stop them from terrorizing Miss Sinistra further should she be sentenced to work with them…so perhaps, for her own well being and for those young women's safety, we should separate them. Her detention can start tomorrow with me."

Professor Adisa nodded slowly, not looking entirely convinced, but Dumbledore seemed to take this as a yes, and without waiting for an answer he turned to Aurora.

"I will see you tomorrow in my office, then. Good luck at the match." With that, he turned on his heel and left, and Aurora was dismissed shortly thereafter.

* * *

"I'm benching you."

"YOU CAN'T BENCH ME! I'M THE STAR OF THE TEAM!" Rudy exploded. So _this_ was what the private "strategy meeting" with Flint was all about—Rudy thought that Flint was finally breaking down and asking a better flier for tips, but no—Flint was suspending Rudy for his recent interest in Aurora.

"You've been imperiused," Flint said, slowly, as if he was attempting to figure out a particularly difficult riddle.

"Oh, in the name of Circe, Flint—"

"YOU are a Circe-cursed pighead. I don't know how she pulled it over on you, but she's thrown you for a loop. And, don't shout at me. I'm your captain."

"Flint. You're throwing the game."

"No, I am saving that game that you are about to throw."

Rudy was shocked. "I'd never throw a Quidditch game. NEVER. You know how much I love this game and how much I love this team—no casual snog is going to get in the way of the first match of the season—it's Ravenclaw, we're going to plow them over, we've been talking about how far ahead we're going to score for a week—"

"Maybe you've been confunded…" Flint wasn't listening to a word he said, surveying his player with a curious, puzzled interest.

Rudy threw up his hands. "I'll see you on the pitch, after you've had time to work out your idiocy."

Flint called after him. "I'd not bother…" but Rudy had already slammed the door. Flint shrugged. This game would be an easy one… but it was also an important one and no love potion was going to get in the way of a Slytherin victory, star player or not.

"I cannot believe this. It's out of control. Even for Hogwarts, it's out of control." Rudy was striding through the corridors, talking to himself in his fury. "Even Flint's caught the bug. I can't even believe this."

Portraits called out to him as he passed. "Ease off that temper, boy—you'll have no heart by the time you're forty five…"

Rudy pointed a threatening finger at the wizard standing in front of his farmhouse. "YOU hush, paintjob—"

The portrait looked affronted. "How dare you speak so carelessly about masterworks of art—" but Rudy wasn't listening. He HAD to play tonight. He'd never missed a Slytherin match. _You've never met a girl like __Aurora__ either, Rudy._

He brushed off the thought, smiled tightly at a group of Slytherin first years in the same getup as he was, faces painted just like his, green jersey-robes swishing as they cheered. He HAD to play. He just had to. It was Quidditch.

He knocked on the door of the Ravenclaw common room. "Where does magic come from?"

Rudy stopped short. Was the door trying to keep him out? There wasn't an answer to that question. "What?"

The door repeated itself, in that soft, cool female voice. "Where does magic come from?"

Rudy paused. "A wand?" The door did not respond. "A wizard?" Again, no response. Rudy kicked out at the door. "HOW SHOULD I KNOW, THEN?" The door stoically kept shut as Rudy fumed outside… and then quite suddenly opened to reveal Aurora standing behind it, smirking. "Slytherin," she said.

Rudy rolled his eyes, and then smiled. She opened the door a little wider, but he did not enter. "I need you to tell Flint I'm in my right mind and capable of playing an unbiased Quidditch match," he said. "Now."

Aurora cocked her head at him, and then slowly said, "No."

"What do you mean, no?"

"No," she said just as slowly. "I'm playing an unbiased match for Ravenclaw, and it greatly increases our chances of winning if Flint sits you out."

"WHAT?"

Aurora smirked and shut the door in his face.

Rudy knocked again. "Where does magic come from?"

"Up your ass," he told the door, and beat on it with his fist. "Aurora—"

She did not open the door again for him.

* * *

Aurora quickly strode away from the door until she could no longer hear Rudy's pounding and shouting. Her teammates were scattered about the common room with other Ravenclaw supporters, and they nodded in approval at her as she strode past. This was no time to be soft, no time to give in to the Slytherins. Good snog or no, he was _still_ the opposition and if she hadn't shut the door in his face, SHE would be sitting out. And that was not going to happen. Dumbledore got her out of detention for this game. She was not going to toss it away because the Slytherin's were dumber than a hippogriff's ass. No, she was Ravenclaw captain. This was her first match. Win or lose it, she was going to play and she was NOT going to give her team reason to suspect she was incapable of doing so otherwise.

Up in her room, she pulled back her long blonde hair and caught herself frowning in the mirror.

"Oh stop it," She huffed at her reflection. "He understands. That's why he came here to begin with. He is just as competitive as you…"

Quietly she added, "He wouldn't want you to sit out too…"

…_better for both to sit out then to take advantage of the situation and play without him…._

She adjusted the soft robes, her favorite robes she owned, and ran her hand over the Ravenclaw seal. They looked good on her. Better than the other robes did. These actually fit, were pressed, and the blues made her eyes jump out with vibrant color. And the bronze…she found herself remembering the dark brown of Rudy's eyes, the intensity of them, but shook her head to clear of such nonsensical thinking. She had a game to play.

"It is just a game. All is fair in love and war, right?" Somehow her reflection didn't seem convinced and as she reached for the lip-gloss she stopped herself. "No. I need my broom…"

…_remember flying with Rudy last night? You didn't even need a broom then…_

Aurora slung the broom over her shoulder and gave a final, longing look at the lip-gloss, debating silently whether or not it was worth it. After slamming the door in his face, she wouldn't have been surprised should he never speak to her again. And truthfully, she did feel bad for having to do so…but it was _quidditch_….

Aurora met her team and they walked out to the pitch together, thankfully void of any sign of Rudy or the Slytherin team. The queer looks she received from some passing students were still unnerving to her…but now she was focusing on the task at hand. She was a chaser, and she was good. She had enough competitiveness in her to drive the entire team, and that is why they had made her captain. Aurora, when in game-mode, was all business. All awkwardness and reservation was shed, and this was the only time when being a half-blood didn't matter. She could play Quidditch, and she could play it well. That was all that mattered.

As the team assembled in the dressing rooms and began going over possible game strategies, Aurora couldn't stop the thoughts of Rudy from picking away at her mind. Yes, he was their biggest threat. Yes, she was supposed to be true to her Ravenclaw team…she was helpless to help him, why would the Slytherin's believe her anyway? Besides, Dumbledore had wanted to see her play; he had—

That was it—Dumbledore.

Aurora hastily excused herself from the team, claiming to need a word with the referee, but instead she slipped up the hill towards the staff box where she knew the professors, including Dumbledore, would be seated. Dumbledore calmly passed his eyes over her and excused himself, taking a leisurely walk down to the pitch. When he spotted Aurora waving at him, he detoured off to meet her and she quickly explained the predicament. He listened intently, eyes smiling and nodding, and by the time she finished she was out of breath.

Dumbledore paused for a moment to think and then said, "You'll have to excuse me, Miss Sinistra. It appears I have reason to suspect the Slytherin's of using Felix on their teammates. I will just have to go and test each of them thoroughly to determine that no such potion, charm, or hex is otherwise being used to give them the advantage. Good day."

With that he strode away from her with not but a slight wink in her direction. Aurora breathed a sigh of relief. Technically she hadn't helped the Slytherins at all. She had merely tattled on them for "cheating." So whatever became of Rudy now, was out of her hands. She prayed for the best and went back to her team.

Dumbledore ambled slowly across the field, musing. How interesting it was to see Rudy and Aurora placed in such a unique situation. How interesting to see their reactions. Aurora was truly a Ravenclaw; it made sense for her to accuse the Slytherin team of cheating. On an old rule, of course Rudy would now have to play the match, though normally it would have been overlooked.

He approached Flint as he stood frozen at the door of the changing rooms, surveying the crowd shrewdly. "Mister Flint."

Flint flicked his eyes towards Dumbledore for a moment. He turned back to the stands, unmoving. "Headmaster."

"It has come to my attention that you have been attempting to brew Felix Felicis in your dormitory, and I have been advised that you may be using said potion to fix Quidditch matches. Is this true?"

Flint moved his eyes towards Dumbledore again. "Of course not, Headmaster."

"All the same, Mister Flint, I don't think you'll mind too much if I investigate the matter briefly? I shall be finished by the time you are called to enter the field. Excuse me!"

Dumbledore made to enter the changing tent, but Flint protested. "I'm failing potions, Headmaster—"

"All the same, rules are rules. I would hate to disqualify Slytherin House over something so simple."

Dumbledore smiled congenially, as though he were remarking about the weather or agapanthus instead of threatening to call the match.

Flint cussed under his breath, but moved aside. "My team doesn't cheat—" They were using valuable timing. This was the slot for the pep talk—this is where they discussed last-minute strategy—Flint did not have time to psych his team out with these breath tests.

"Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that your team does not cheat at Quidditch, Mr. Flint. I believe you yourself have been convicted of several counts of copying in your time here…" Dumbledore held up his wand to the next player's mouth, who exhaled… and was promptly covered in a cloud of green smoke as the first several.

"We're not dosed with Felix Felicis!" Flint protested.

"Perhaps you are dosed with something else? Strengthening solution? Surely you must be compensating for the recent loss of your best beater…" Another cloud of green smoke.

Flint's face darkened. "It is a regrettable loss, but necessary. I'm not sure what _he's_ recently been dosed with, and I'd hate to play him in such a state."

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I assume you gave the referees their due notice about your change in the roster?"

Flint blinked.

* * *

Rudy glared at Flint as he entered the changing rooms, started hastily fastening his pads as the replacement beater took them off. "I told you, Flint, I told you it was stupid—"

"The only reason I'm playing you is because I _have_ to, Lestrange—if you throw this game for me, I will end you—we'll fall behind Gryffindor—"

Rudy tightened his chest pad with a jerk on a string, and it snapped into place around him, curving to fit his body. They felt like a second skin, these pads. "There's no way I'd lose a House Cup to the Prewetts over a stupid snog, Marcus." Rudy looked up, livid. "I expect you'll be playing YOUR best to avoid losing to a bunch of blood-traitors?"

He stalked out the door, picked up his broom, announced to the team as he led the way to the field, tall, arrogant, and entirely focused on the game—"Ravenclaw had us all checked for cheats. They're afraid, and they're already playing dirty. Let's make this one count, shall we?"

He mounted his broom and kicked off without waiting for a response, staring hard at the case where Madame Hooch was containing the balls. Laying flat on his broom, he looked like an arrow.

Rudy glanced around at the Ravenclaw team as they each took their positions in the air. He saw Aurora, her hair pulled back, her eyes set on the box—and something in Rudy twitched _angrily_. She was Ravenclaw captain! She would have sat him out—she had them all checked for cheats—they were _still_ waving smoke away from around their heads!

Madame Hooch blew the whistle. The quaffle was tossed… the bludgers rocketed into the air—the Snitch zoomed hard left…

Rudy darted after a bludger, wound up, and leaned into the stroke. The bat hit the ball with a loud crack, Rudy's hand stinging slightly—and he was pleased to see Aurora look around as she rolled over on her broom. He found strange satisfaction in seeing that she knew it was_ he_ that had made so direct an attack so early on in the game. He met her gaze for a moment, refusing to look away, and when she streaked off, he made sure to interrupt her play with yet another bludger. This was _his_ game. She had tried to steal it from him. He would now steal it from her.

His play that game was inspired. He flew dangerously—beat the bludgers to a pulp, had to have his swinging hand wrapped at one point, though he hardly noticed the pain—and he made the Ravenclaw chasers fear possession of the Quaffle. How dare they think that he would THROW a game of QUIDDITCH—

_Crack!_ The bludger blasted through one of the goalposts. Play was paused so that it could be repaired. Rudy cursed, and flew restlessly from side to side, eager to start playing again. He itched for a bludger, just so that he could _hit_ it…

* * *

Aurora and her team were draining and fast. They spent more time avoiding the Slytherin's ruthless and cutting bludgers then they did actually executing any goals on the pitch. The only thing saving her team at this point was her seeker. She knew they had a shot; Chang was faster than lightening when the wind favored him and even when it didn't, he was a good match for the Slytherin seeker. The only problem was if Aurora didn't stop the Slytherin chasers from scoring goal upon goal, it wouldn't matter if Chang _did_ catch the Snitch. The fact of the matter was two more goals and the Slytherin's would be ahead 150. Three more goals and they were ahead 160. That was enough to give them the win no matter who caught the snitch. Aurora's stomach dropped. Yes she had been fully aware of the repercussions of letting Rudy play…but did he _really_ need to beat up her team so mercilessly?

Then Aurora had an idea. An absolutely crazy idea, but she needed the time and she needed Rudy focused on something _other_ than hitting her. She veered off from the play that was in progress and shouted for the quaffle, keeping an eye on Rudy who was winding up for another bludger at her left chaser. She yelled louder; her left chaser had the quaffle, he was flying towards the hoops but he wouldn't make it before Rudy nailed him. If he would just toss the quaffle to the right wing, then he could up it to Aurora who was keeping a level height with Rudy who was oblivious to her hanging back…_come on. Come ON…_

"PASS IT!"

Rudy connected with the bludger with a loud _CRACK!_ and her left chaser instinctively got rid of the quaffle in his attempt to avoid it. But it knocked the tail of his broom and he plummeted quite a few feet before regaining his balance. It was the distraction Aurora needed. As Rudy watched his targets connect, and while her beaters took care of the other Slytherin beater, her right wing tossed her the quaffle and she lobbed it as hard as she could at the back of Rudy's head. It wasn't enough to knock him out, or even knock him off his broom, but it was enough to pitch him forward and fly off course as he figured out what had happened. The Slytherin chasers were confused too; had she just hit Rudy in the head? With the _Quaffle_? Aurora looked for the ref who was flying towards her with a reproachful look. But with an innocent shrug and smile, Aurora yelled,

"SORRY RUDY!"

The ref backed off because at that moment Aurora's right chaser had recovered the quaffle from Rudy's head and had scored. It had worked!

Needless to say, that move was not going to fly again now that the ref was watching Aurora more closely than usual, and her team only managed a few more goals before the Slytherins recovered from the rather strange episode and scored five more on her team. When the snitch was spotted, Aurora simply yelled orders to her chasers to avoid the bludgers, because there had been too many close calls already. Aurora's leg was killing her where a bludger had escaped her notice and slammed itself into her ankle. But that would come later. Right now, she wanted to make sure Slytherins didn't score anymore. Playing offense was pointless. Defense was their best bet. So they fought off the remaining Slytherin goals and somehow escaped without any lasting injuries. And by some miracle, the wind was working with the snitch and it took only a few fleeting seconds for Chang to raise his hand into the air and claim the snitch as his own. Both Slytherins and Ravenclaws went nuts. It was one of the craziest matches all year. Sure the Slytherins had an easy win, but it was a dangerous and close-cutting game all the way through. Aurora felt utterly exhausted by the time the game finished and she was glad to see her team wasn't too downhearted afterwards.

They escaped the crowds of students and made their way back into the changing rooms where they undressed quietly and congratulated each other on a good season. Chang was the hero of the group, but everyone couldn't help but hug Aurora for hitting Rudy in the head with the quaffle…_and getting away with it! _She accepted each congratulations and commented gracefully, then sank back against the lockers as she waited for her team to finish up and leave. She didn't have the energy to get back up. She was beat. Today had been one of the craziest days ever and all she wanted now was ice, and a nice quiet place to curl up and sleep…but not her room. The common room would be crazy as usual. And she had quite enough of people today. She just wanted to sit in the quiet and bask in its glorious silence. So she closed her eyes and did just that.

* * *

The win did not sate Rudy's temper. He was _livid_. They were together, and she would take QUIDDITCH from him? He landed, and was immediately swamped by a hundred Slytherins. He took off again, pulled kerchiefs and scarves from his robe and dropped them back into the waiting crowd, flew to the changing rooms and landed there.

Obviously she didn't get it. It was QUIDDITCH. You don't just take QUIDDITCH away because you feel like being flirty… but for the fifteenth time, the response chased the thought through his brain. _She wasn't being flirty. She was behaving like it was Quidditch. She was playing Quidditch._

Rudy didn't like that thought. He couldn't decide how he felt about it. If she wasn't being flirty, hadn't she deliberately tried to screw him over instead? But… if she was playing Quidditch… there was another thing they had in common, among the hundred they had already shared.

He found his expression softening, but his stomach lurched again. What did that _mean? _She hit him in the back of the head with the quaffle—what did it MEAN?

Rudy laid his forehead against the cool metal of the lockers, and started stripping off his pads. He'd need to ice his arm tonight. He'd swung the hell out of his bat. He rolled his shoulder, winced at how it already felt stiff, and he hadn't been off of his broomstick for hardly ten minutes.

"It's a Slytherin victory," he said to himself. "What's wrong with you? Go and celebrate!" He re-wrapped his hand, smiling silently at the other team members as they came in one by one to change. He was the first to exit—he threw open the cloth of the tent and raised his wrapped fist in the air. The crowd bellowed their approval.

He swaggered towards them, gave Gregg Nott a high five, and walked back up to the common room, surrounded by admirers and well wishers. Greg smirked at him. "Glad to see Flint was wrong."

Rudy shrugged.

"Maybe you're over it?" Greg asked, hopefully.

Rudy slid his eyes sideways at Greg, and smirked. No, he was not over it. And he had a bone to pick with Aurora after he had uncorked the champagne.

* * *

Rudy threw back the door to the library and hunted around for Aurora. She wasn't there. She hadn't been at the top of the Astronomy tower; she hadn't been in the Great Hall; she wasn't in her common room… Rudy had looked himself, he knew why food could not be called out of thin air—food was not object, food was experience.

"Where is she?" He spoke into the night, utterly puzzled.

A thought occurred to him. What had Chang said? "Nobody ever saw her come out of the changing rooms." Of course it had been a Ravenclaw thing to say—it didn't mean that nobody knew where she was, it meant she was _still_ in the changing rooms because she had never come out. Rudy pushed through the door, and saw her slumped against the lockers, her head thrown back and her mouth wide open, asleep against the doors.

Momentarily he wondered if he should wake her up. She looked exhausted. And she looked as if she would never wish to hurt anyone, much less Rudy, by trying to prevent him from playing Quidditch.

Rather than striding forward and knocking her off the bench, he cushioned it with a charm, conjured a blanket out of his wand, and gently laid her down. He tucked the blanket in around her, and saw her stir lightly. He brushed her hair back behind her, so that it fell over the edge of the bench and hung down. There were tiny sweat-curled ringlets by her neck.

He could not resist giving her a peck on the forehead. She was so sweet.

She opened her eyes and smiled at the touch of his lips. "Congratulations." She blinked sleepily.

Rudy opened his mouth to say something tender—to say thank you—but he flushed and looked away, and instead blurted out what he had intended in the first place. "Why didn't you help me when Flint suspended me from the game?"

Aurora smiled and closed her eyes again. "Because it's Quidditch, and I am a captain, and I play strategy. Kiss me again, would you?"

Rudy did. And he stayed in the changing room for a long while, running a single hand through her beautiful golden hair, and humming to her.


	8. In Her Eyes

**The Sinistriad**  
_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 8

* * *

**A/N: Please continue to read and review! We welcome all responses to our work and respond to them on our profile! Thank you for your continued audience and we hope you enjoy this chapter! Also, we are currently seeking Communities to submit this story--know of one that you think this fits? PLEASE share with us and help us get this story out to more readers! Much love and happy reading! :)**

* * *

It was Saturday. A trip to Hogsmeade was being offered to all the students, but as Aurora awoke she realized that all her plans would be postponed due to the start of detention. That realization aside, it was still a pleasant morning. She woke up snug in her bed, unable to remember exactly how she had gotten there, but the flower and note resting on her trunk quickly cleared up any confusion she had. Rudy must have escorted her back. The last thing Aurora even remembered was falling asleep in the locker rooms after the Quidditch match. He had come in and woke her up, only to have her fall right back asleep on his shoulder. Looking back on it, Aurora blushed at her rude exhaustion, and wondered how long Rudy had sat with her before dropping her off. It didn't really matter in the end, for even now the gifts she found were proof that she hadn't offended him. Aurora smiled fondly at the light pink rose and pressed it to her lips as she read the note.

It said quite simply,

_Aurora,  
__Lunch at Hogsmeade? I'll meet you outside the Hogs Head at noon. My treat.  
__Rudy_

Her smile faded as she read it. Detention began eleven and only ended when Dumbledore decided to dismiss her. There was no way she would get out in time. Sighing and pulling herself out of bed, she went to her trunk to get dressed for the day and briefed through the other mail waiting on top. A copy of the paper was folded next to a postcard from her Grandmother, and under that was a letter from her parents informing her that they had relocated once again. Aurora tossed that letter in the garbage but tucked the paper and postcard in with her belongings. She didn't want to think about what money her parents were losing, and decided to send Rudy an owl to see if he'd meet her later. After jotting her note down, she threw on a simple white sundress and left her hair down out of laziness. A few students paused in their chatter to watch her as she walked through the common room on her way to the owl tower, but most had gotten over the news of her fling with Rudy. It seemed to her that the Quidditch match had calmed most suspicions that anything serious had occurred between them—after all, how could a couple play such a merciless game against each other? Aurora smiled to herself, still proud of the way she had handled things. If only they knew how clever she was…

Halfway to the tower she haphazardly bumped shoulders with another student who was leaving, and to her surprise the greasy haired boy who muttered sorry was none other than Snape.

"Sev!" Aurora exclaimed, grabbing his wrist so he was forced to look up. "Hey! Sorry! I didn't mean to run into you. How are you?"

Her beaming smile caught Snape off guard, and it took him a moment to find his footing as he teetered on the edge of a step. He ran a nervous hand through his hair and stammered the only word that didn't get caught in his throat.

"Hello!"

Aurora laughed at his look of surprise, but otherwise didn't act any different then she normally did. Severus felt weak in the knees and struggled to keep his eyes from examining her, the white dress making her Quidditch tan all the more attractive. He didn't know why he expected her to be different; it was as if snogging Rudy should have turned her into another one of the Slytherin princesses…or at least made her more aloof of Snape. But she continued to smile pleasantly and he wiped the nervous beads of sweat off his nose with the back of his sleeve.

"Why aren't you at Hogsmeade?"

He shrugged. "Didn't feel the need to go waste money I don't have," They shared a quiet laugh. "You understand."

"That I do. I just received another letter from my parents. They've moved again."

Snape saw the frown forming, despite Aurora's attempt to look nonchalant about the news. There was no denying it bothered her. Aurora's parents were constantly moving around to keep up with the latest horse races; sometimes to the most desolate pits of the desert where Aurora complained about not knowing anyone, and other times right into the midst of Turkey or India. They had been nearly everywhere and Aurora, though she never said it out loud, still blamed them for her lack of friends growing up.

Snape cringed. "Oh…where to this time?"

"Jordan," Aurora shrugged. "Not as interesting as Egypt, but at least they're close. I would love to go back to the Alexandria Library…"

Snape nodded silently, feeling awkward suddenly. He hadn't spoken to her since the rumors of her and Rudy had spread and he still couldn't get past the feeling that she had been tainted or spoiled. He couldn't look at her without getting vivid images of her and Rudy on the astronomy tower. Had they really snogged? Had it been more than a snog? How had Rudy managed to get so far with Aurora in such a short time, when Snape had been working on getting the guts just to ask her out for months?

"Sev?" Aurora nudged him, noticing the sour look on his face. "What's wrong?

"Oh, nothing." He recovered quickly, forcing a smile. "Why aren't you in Hogsmeade?"

Aurora blushed. "Detention…with Dumbledore, so it shouldn't be so bad…"

Snape raised his eyebrows at her. "Detention? What'd you do?"

Aurora sheepishly told him of what had happened the morning after she had been caught with Rudy, interrupting herself once or twice with an uncomfortable laugh. Snape listened half-heartedly, his mind once again wandering to what actually happened on the tower, and then to Rudy's threat in the Great Hall. His anger flared; how DARE Rudy try to tell him what to do? Aurora was supposed to be his.

"Do you actually like that guy?" He asked abruptly, cutting her off mid-story.

Aurora blinked, surprised by his outburst. With a furrowed brow she nodded. "Yes. So?"

"You never liked him before I said something, you know. What happened to 'filthy pureblood' and 'arrogant bastard?'" He was breathing between his teeth as he spoke. "One minute you loathe him and his friends and want nothing to do with him, and the next you're shagging on the astronomy tower?"

"Sev! We did NOT shag!" Aurora corrected hastily.

Snape waved his hand in dismissal, not hearing a word she said. "He's using you Aurora. He's exactly what he was three weeks ago! He's the same Rudy that you hated and just because he can snog a girl senseless doesn't mean he's a good person!"

Aurora regarded him sternly. "Perhaps I was wrong in my judgment about him, just as he was wrong about his prejudice against me."

"Oh, did he tell you that? Has he actually said he doesn't care that you're a half-blood?"

"I think him being with me is proof enough of that!"

"You know he was just snogging Bella days before he started snogging you?" Snape roared. She was not seeing reason; she was blind. He paced in front of her, eager to make her understand. He didn't want to tell her the whole set up, not yet. But she had to see Rudy for what he was—a backstabbing, evil, arrogant, and slimy Slytherin who was out to hurt her.

"…what?" Aurora paled she stared at him in disbelief. She had never seen Severus so upset before.

He nodded accusingly, almost just as angry at her for falling for Rudy's act. "He used her for a snog, and that's what he's doing to you too. He's the same as all of them, Aurora! All those Slytherin purebloods; they haven't changed. I mean, look what the Ravenclaws did to you! No one in the school can fathom this pairing because frankly, Rudy just doesn't work like that. THEY don't work like that. Everyone else can see that this will end in disaster, why can't you?"

Aurora couldn't respond. She was still recovering from the shock of hearing his bold accusations. He wasn't talking about the Rudy she knew. Not her Rudy. Not the one who recited poetry and could appreciate the stars with her in the cold of the night. Sev just didn't know him, didn't understand him the way she did…

"Aurora?"

Snape's harsh voice was drowned out by the clock chiming eleven, and Aurora was tempted to yell right back at him. He was huge in front of her; his shoulders swelling with every angry breath he drew. His dark beady eyes bore into hers waiting for an apology, an admittance that she was wrong, SOMETHING. But he got nothing. Instead Aurora sniffed indignantly and stood a bit straighter before responding quietly.

"I have to go."

She left him on the steps seething, and even though she never got her owl off to Rudy, Aurora was all too happy to be free of Snape's accusations. At least detention gave her something to do, even if it was just cleaning desks. It gave her time to think over all Severus had said and she concluded he was simply being irrational. Instead of supporting her in this exciting new relationship, her best friend was actually jealous! _Well it's his own fault, he had his chance to ask me out,_ Aurora thought. Not that she had ever considered dating Snape, but if he was so concerned about who she snogged then it might have done him well to step in earlier!

It wasn't until twelve thirty that Dumbledore finally dismissed her and even though she had already missed lunch with Rudy, Aurora made her way into Hogsmeade. If she had stayed inside Hogwarts, she would've just sat and fretted anyway. She needed to see Rudy in order to prove Snape wrong. He was not a bad person. Not her Rudy.

* * *

Rudy leaned back on the doorframe of the Hog's Head, holding the bunch of white lilies in his hand. He briefly checked his wristwatch. Five more minutes, then he was going over to the Three Broomsticks to find her.

"Guess she's late. Filthy halfbloods," Bellatrix Lestrange sauntered towards him, smirking.

Rudy weighed her words, and then looked directly into her upturned, flirtatious face. His voice was harsh and full of anger. "Still sounds better than filthy whore to me."

Bellatrix was momentarily stunned, but advanced another few steps. _So you have an edge. I do too, Rudy._ "Tell me you don't like the taste of that dirt in your mouth. It's foul."

"Get away from me, Black." It was a warning. A command. An ultimatum.

Bellatrix shrugged. "Just thought you may prefer civilized company for a change. Goodbye, then, Lestrange… enjoy your mudblood…if she ever has the decency to show." She sauntered away again, knew Rudy was watching her. Hopefully watching her behind.

Rudy fumed for a moment, checked his watch again. Twelve thirty! Where was she? What was she playing at? Did she know enough etiquette to send a note if she couldn't show? _And she's not a mudblood_— she's not pure either, though, came the answering thought. Wasn't that the same thing? It's what everybody was saying. _It's what my father would say._

He had gone to her because—why? Conquest. To shove it in Bella's face. When had it become more than that? When had he noticed her for something likable? The locker room with her fantastic legs? Quidditch? Classes? He tended to prefer Ravenclaws. He liked that they were pensive. Pensive snogs were the best.

Aurora was more than a snog, though. She officially knew more about him than anybody on the whole of Hogwarts' grounds… not even Rabastan knew what Rudy kept in his journal…

Twelve thirty five. She wasn't showing, and that was that. She'd have sent an owl by now. Something about it made him uneasy, but he couldn't put his finger on what. He decided to head back to the school with the flowers—after all, they could be kept for another date. Did she want to go out on another date? Was the attention too much for her?

Had that little imp she studied with done something to her? Snape—Snape and Bellatrix—they had done something. It was why Bellatrix showed up. It was how she had known. He angrily stood up, and started stalking towards the place Bellatrix had disappeared to—but Aurora was coming down the lane, smiling under her blond curls and windblown in her white sundress.

Rudy gave a hesitant smile, and checked his watch. "I told you noon, right?"

Aurora nodded apologetically as she approached. "I had detention. I was going to send you a note, but I got sidetracked."

"Detention?" Rudy inquired.

"Don't worry about it," She deflected, not wanting to tell the story again. While she was with him, she would enjoy him. "Are you still hungry?"

"Of course," Rudy said. "I waited for you." He proffered the bouquet of lilies. "These are for you. Not transfigured—they're fresh cut."

She smiled at him and automatically took his arm. "Where to, then?"

Rudy's smile relaxed slightly. "Wherever you'd like. I was thinking the Hog's Head. Not many students go in there—I thought you might like a respite from the attention. I didn't want to clear out the Three Broomsticks." He paused awkwardly. It was a scandal. "People in the Hog's Head are less inclined to…" _to care if you're dating a half-blood._

He felt Aurora's arm stiffen in his. "We could try Madame Puddifoot's, too. Or whatever you like."

"Rudy," Aurora said quietly, withdrawing her arm. "Does it bother you that I'm the daughter of a squib?"

Rudy blinked and looked sideways. It was a problem, but it could be dealt with. "I'd call you a pensive and imaginative free thinker, instead. That is what matters to me." It felt like a lie, even if it was true. Rudy smiled, put an arm around her shoulders. "You let other people focus on that. I'm going to focus on you."

She put an arm around his waist, smiled up at him. Sweet, innocent smile. Rudy was momentarily struck with guilt, utterly wracked with it… but he shrugged it off, signaled the barman of the Hog's Head, and pulled Aurora's chair out for her.

* * *

Aurora hadn't been in Hog's Head often. It had always seemed rather bleak to her and the company there was less than enjoyable on most occasions. She studied Rudy as he sat across from her, still wearing her smile but her insides churning. She had not missed the way he had hesitated; the way he had stopped short of admitting something…the way even now his calm seemed upset and his usual arrogance missing. Perhaps Snape was right—Rudy still hadn't said outright that he didn't care if she was a half-blood. He had said what he would call her…

She was starting to wish she had just stayed at Hogwarts…no. She wished she had not received Rudy's letter this morning, so she would not have run into Snape. It was his fault she was paranoid again. Just when she had started getting comfortable with the idea of Rudy, her suspicions and paranoia were once again aroused and she couldn't bring herself to continue smiling at him as they sat there. Looking down at her hands she felt utterly ridiculous. She knew this had been too good to last. And here she was, on a date, dressed in perhaps the nicest dress she owned, and even that wasn't much compared to most other nice dresses. Why was she trying so hard to impress him? Did she really think it would help keep him, if she looked more presentable? Probably not. She could change her hair, her make-up, her clothes…but her blood remained the same and nothing she could do could change that.

The awkward silence stretched between them, even when Rudy ordered them two butterbeers and asked how her morning had gone, detention aside. He was trying to ease them into conversation, desperate to rid her of that frown and to build his own self-assurance back up. He was with her for a good reason, he kept telling himself. Half-bloods and purebloods dated all the time. Just because his family prided their pure heritage like a bunch of elitists didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy a good snog just like everyone else. Even his buddies had deflowered a half-blood or two in their time before moving on. It was just part of the dating game. Blood wasn't that important…

Aurora opened her mouth to respond, but shut it again. Her morning had thus far sucked. Her only moment of bliss arrived when she found the rose after waking up, but that moment had otherwise been sucker-punched by Snape.

Eventually she found her voice, and when she spoke it was with great hesitance.

"I…ran into Severus this morning…" She began. Her voice had lost its usual vigor. "He said some things…did you really snog Bellatrix?" She blurted.

Rudy blinked at her over his mug, pausing mid-sip to recover from her outburst. She gave him a look that conveyed just how much this troubled her, and her hands were in a nervous wrestling match in her lap. Now it was his turn to mime a fish as he took a moment to consider the best answer.

"She snogged me; spur of the moment thing. It came out of nowhere and meant nothing," He shrugged casually. "Apparently she's been making it out to be something serious if she's been spreading it around to Snape. You know how the girls are, Aurora. The minute they see you with me, they try to find a way to break us up…"

"So why me?" Aurora was devastated by her own words. But she couldn't stop them now that she was on a roll. She wanted answers. And after seeing him stumble and hesitate over the question of her blood, she needed to prove to herself that they were fine; that she was good enough for him.

Rudy felt his stomach drop. "What?"

"Why me? Why when you have all the girls in the school swooning at your feet did you decide to seek me out? You had never paid me attention before. You never looked at me, or acknowledged me, or said a word to me…you had nothing to base your sudden attraction to me on, save for that mishap of you walking in on me in the locker room…so…?" Aurora's face was pink with the question, but her eyes were pleading for honesty. "So am I just another snog?"

Rudy was frozen with one hand on his mug, the other hand picking at the table as he listened to her. His mind was racing with possibilities, with lies or smooth transitions, but the look she gave him was so sad! The guilt came flooding back again and he almost wanted to hug her rather than tell her anything. She saw his reluctance to answer and shrank back even more in her seat, as if willing herself to disappear all together. Rudy was afraid that if he moved she would dart like a deer in the headlights and disappear into the woods. She seemed so fragile and he had no one but himself to blame for that. Hadn't he and his friends degraded and humiliated the half-bloods, mudbloods, and squibs to give them that feeling—that they were nothing?

_Because in comparison, they are._

Rudy could hear the echo of his father in his head, and the sneers of his friends as if they were sitting next to him. But then he looked at Aurora again and that answer didn't seem so concrete anymore. He squinted at her and tried to think logically. Logically, there sat a half-blood—a good snog—and nothing more. He would get his revenge on Bella, get a few hickeys out of it, and then move on like everyone else…WHY didn't that thought feel comfortable? Why was he losing his footing now of all times? Why was his entire world being challenged and brought down around him? This was not what he had grown up to know and accept. This was…ludicrous!

"Rudy…?" Aurora prodded quietly. "Please…just tell me the truth. I don't want you to stay with me out of pity. I don't want you to lie to me for the purpose of a joke. I don't care if it's anything like that. At this point, I'm willing to just let this whole pretense drop and walk away. If this is not sincere, I do not want it to continue…I do not want to be humiliated again…"

Surely he understood that? He of all people; Rodolphus Lestrange with the reputation knew what it meant to keep up your image…then again, she doubted he had ever been humiliated. She felt sick to her stomach with where this conversation was going. The hesitance behind his eyes, the fidgeting, and the pauses…something was amiss and Aurora wanted to disappear. This was already humiliating enough. Why couldn't it have just ended last night? One sweet kiss and then done. She could have woken up with just the memory and then have continued her life without interruption…but no. Here she was, struggling with this still, and receiving no help from him. She wanted him—she wanted him more than anything. But she would not take him if he was not wholly hers. And deep in her heart, Aurora was beginning to understand that he was not hers and she clutched her stomach, afraid of becoming sick all over the table.

"Aurora, I am not here to hurt you or humiliate you… I'm just here to have lunch…" He smiled hopefully, but immediately cut to another tactic as anger clouded Aurora's face. "Sev's jealous as hell, you know he is—you can't listen to him—"

"I'm not listening to him!" Aurora retorted. "I'm listening to you, Rudy. I am listening to you belittle MY feelings, and deflect MY questions, and generally look like a child sneaking into a broom shed. Are you worried I've caught you doing something wrong?"

"Aurora—"

"Why am I even asking? Of course I have. Of course Sev's right—he's one of my best friends. Friends look out for each other. Purebloods look out for themselves." She stood and threw him the dirtiest look she could muster. "Of course you wanted to meet in the Hog's Head. Not to save me from the attention, but to save you from the embarrassment of being seen with me."

They stared at each other for a moment. Rudy opened his mouth helplessly, no words to come to his aid; Aurora faltered for a brief second, but then sneered. She swiped her hand through the air, scattering the bouquet of lilies across the floor, catching a butterbeer and sending it spilling into Rudy's lap.

If she faltered again, as Rudy launched himself out of the chair with butterbeer pouring off of him, no one in the bar could have told. She strode out of the door and kept a brisk pace up towards the school. She had to get away from Rudy, yes—but there again, she had to get away from everyone to clear her head. To set this nonsensical, irrational hurt aside. She had been spared major public humiliation. She should be grateful she had come to her senses. _I was stupid._ _He's a blighter. Get over it_. Tears threatened anyway, unwilling to be tamed, and they infuriated her.

"Is crying about it going to change anything? It fixes nothing. Get tough, Aurora. You knew it was going to happen…"

* * *

Rudy's head was spinning. She'd stunned him to silence. He felt so terribly guilty. She had disrespected him—she had shouted and struck out and falsely accused him, he should be so angry—upstart little squibspawn that she was, she should be grateful… but the attempts at temper were half-hearted, even more listless than they had been for the past several days. It did bother him that she was a half-blood daughter of a squib. He had chased after her to prove that she could be caught—that he could have whatever he wanted, squibspawn or no, and other attempts to control him be damned. It hadn't been about her. It had been selfish sport to take interest in her.

"Why does it feel like more than that…" Rudy stood in the attic looking lost, his arms dangling off the edge of his tattered armchair, as he stared out the window, counted the towers. She could be in there, he thought to himself. Or on that roof… he briefly considered summoning his broomstick and flying to check, but then… she didn't want to see him. He didn't want to intrude on her private space again. Was it ruined for her, now? Would she find another hideout? How bad was the teasing, now that everyone knew they were quits? It had been days—she looked like just another snog, just one more Daily Flavor. The jockeying would start if he went down to dinner.

He looked down at the blank parchment and quills scattered on the desk in front of him. Could he write her a letter? What would it say? Maybe he'd quote someone—Neruda was always a winner—Lawrence? No, no. Neither. The words would need originality. She was so determined not to trust him. So afraid of letting herself believe that he was sincere.

If he had no business talking to her, he had no business sending her a letter… _Mudblood!_ His brain screamed. _Child of squibs! _Rudy didn't care. There was penance to be done; confessions to be made. He had to get rid of it, this weight, this crushing pressure in his chest! Somehow he had to make her see that he was sorry or that he was innocent—he must be absolved of this guilt! It sat heavy on him, left him lethargic, panicked, stricken! _Selfish, _some part of him argued, but denied it again; he was stricken not because he had offended his own sense of honor. Rudy fundamentally had very little respect for himself. He had hurt her, and he couldn't bear the thought of her in pain. If she were okay, if she looked okay in the halls, if he didn't _know_ she were hurting… he would have suffered to know she didn't want him, but he would have left well enough alone.

What would he say when he went to see her, though? He had gone to her without a plan once already—he'd had nothing to say when he arrived—it had been so…

_No_, he thought_. That went well._ That night had been wonderful. Rocky start, but… maybe there was something to that… maybe conversations were better when they weren't so meticulously planned… when they didn't have such a clear objective…

She'd had such a smile, the barely-visible one that she'd shared with the moon, drinking it in with her whole face, staring up into the silvery light.

* * *

Despite the looming rain clouds and the brisk pre-storm wind, Aurora simply couldn't stand to be indoors. The more the clouds covered the sky, the colder it got. So she grabbed a bag, packed it with enough material to keep her occupied until the rain forced her back inside, and with an old knitted sweatshirt pulled over her head she went to hide amongst the gardens. It wasn't as good as the astronomy tower, true enough. But she didn't need to look at the sky anyway; it was cloudy. Here the smell of ripe vegetables and flowers wafted over her and masked her from any straggling students nearby.

By the time she had finished her astronomy homework it had gotten infinitely colder. Cold enough that the birds were silent and the trees shivered instead of swayed. It was one reason Aurora was not fond of Fall. One minute it was near summer temperature, and the next it was threatening to snow. But the cool breeze felt good against her hot face. The past few days had left her head spinning. She felt drained not only physically, but emotionally. She didn't know how to feel anymore. Whether saddened or angered, happy or relieved, pensive or stoic…she felt her own storm churning within her, and yet she displaced a stony calm on the outside. She felt vulnerable—how was she to take shelter from a storm she didn't even understand? Her world had been utterly rattled and pulled out from under her like a rug, and now she was lost. How did she pick up the threads of her old life when they had been buried amidst a much bigger weave? How did she unknot the tangle she had engaged herself in?

…how did she move on from him?

In her lap sat the doll given as a gift from her Grandmother. Where the note had been pinned just a few days ago, a small tear had erupted. And though Aurora had enough experience in needlework to stitch it back up, her fingers still rested on it like it were some sort of fatal wound. She'd had this doll since she was a child, but she had not seen her Grandmother since. Her mother's relatives were not fond of her father. He was a good man, squib or no, but they abhorred his lifestyle. They hated that he gambled with horses; that he kept Aurora and her mother away from France and therefore the rest of the family. So unless it was a very special occasion, Aurora was denied any visits to her family. She often dreamt of having the freedom to go to France whenever it pleased her…someday. Someday she'd make a point to at least spend the summers. But for now the only memory she had, the only relic, was this doll. Many tears had been shed over it in the silence of the night, when she felt the full impact of that terrible joke played by her roommates. Why hadn't they been given more than detention? Surely they had not shed so many tears over what Aurora had done to them, and yet here she was, crying yet again as she studied her doll. It was maimed, just like everything else in Aurora's fragile existence. She was beginning to believe that nothing in her life would go right, and that realization hit her hard as she looked up at the promising storm.

"Stupid," She grumbled, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "Pull yourself together, Aurora. It's all just…stupid."

* * *

Rudy nearly sprinted down the stairs from his attic. He checked the library briefly, found it mostly empty, and then ran to the Great Hall. He did not have time to let himself think—if he thought about it, he would ruin everything—she was not in the Great Hall, but he had a plan for that already.

He was hailed at the Slytherin table, but passed them by. The Ravenclaws sneered at him, but Aurora was not among their numbers; they were angry about the Quidditch match, no doubt. The Hufflepuffs paid him little mind at all.

He stopped at the head of Gryffindor table, and half of its occupants stood up, waiting for him to draw his wand so that there would be a fight. He said nothing. He glanced towards the staff table, where the teachers were looking wary of the impending madness—Dumbledore was already sweeping down the steps—

Rudy gave them all a bored look and rolled his eyes, withdrew a scroll of parchment, flashed the Lestrange family crest. It looked like he was delivering a letter or an invitation. He approached Sirius Black.

"Is that from my mother, Lestrange? You can send it back," Sirius posed artfully against the table. Potter laughed.

"Sycophant," Rudy shot at him. Potter snarled. "The parchment is blank, Sirius."

"Thanks! Now I can do my potions essays." Sirius rolled his eyes. "What do I want a blank parchment for, then?"

Rudy ignored the comment. "I've heard that you know a spell that'll help you find anyone in this castle. Do you actually know it?"

Sirius looked sideways at Potter. "Maybe. Who could you be looking for that—"

"Aurora Sinistra." Rudy's soft interruption cut off Sirius' taunt. Eyebrows around the table shot up. He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "If you can tell me where she is, maybe I can enchant this parchment to tell you how to get into the Slytherin common room, and up into the girls dormitories. I hear you have bones to pick with your cousin."

Sirius surveyed him. "Give me a second."

Rudy nodded, backed away from the table. He knew Sirius would take the bait.

The tiny huddle of Gryffindors broke apart. Rudy held up the parchment, waving it around like bait.

"Vegetable patch," Sirius said, and snatched the parchment.

Rudy smiled, tapped it with his wand. "I find her there, you get the passwords, but here are the directions."

He turned on his heel and headed out the door. The Gryffindors had not called back to him. They had either stupidly told him the truth before they verified his information, or…

He came out of the castle and onto the grounds more quickly than he had expected, plotting tiny revenges against the little set of Gryffindors, imagining the look on Bellatrix' face when Sirius ended up in her dormitory with trouble on his mind.

Aurora was there, pulling strands off the end of her worn handkerchief, trying to stop herself from crying. Her face was red and puffy, and her knees were pulled up against her chest, and her books were strewn around her as though she had tried to study. Rudy saw the head of a doll poking out of her schoolbag.

He took a few hesitant steps towards her. She looked up at him, and then almost cowered. Her voice was a hiccupped whisper. "How—how did you…" She seemed frozen, unable to look away, her red-rimmed eyes even then held him in their vice grip. Rudy tore his gaze away, looked down, and played with a button on his jacket. "I've been thinking," he said. Aurora braced, winced, but still she looked at him…

Rudy looked straight down into her face, as she covered her streaming nose and her flushed cheeks with a single hand. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was the answer. There were the words that he needed to say. "There is something in your stare that means more to me than your blood." It was confident, assured, but not cocky. Rudy knew it was the truth. He cared more about the way she looked at him than about her blood or her magic or her family. It was that simple.

"So if there is something about me that matters more to you than the sneering and the teasing and my blood…" He paused, waited for her to respond. She didn't. "…then I think I would like to say I was going steady with you." He blushed, looked away. It was the truth. That was solid fact. It made him feel better as he said it. He nodded once, looked back at her, waited for her response.

* * *

Aurora stared up at him intensely, despite her swollen eyes and red nose. How embarrassing to be caught like this! It was bad enough she had been crying like this at all, let alone get caught doing so! She hated to cry—it made her feel childish. And if she had cried every time something in her life went awry, she could've named a new ocean. It was just a nuisance and she hastily tried to hide what a mess she had become, even if it was pointless. Her dress was dirty from sitting in the grass and her hair had been brutally braided out of her face. She had no one to impress anymore—at least that's what she had been telling herself the past few days.

A crack of thunder caused Aurora to look up and she pulled the sweatshirt tighter around her. Sniffing—she could smell the rain—she tucked the doll into her bag to shelter it from the water and even as she did so the tears came with a whole new sense of violence. How could she have been so stupid? If she was foolish to trust Rudy thus far, who cared if she was humiliated in the end? Days before she had walked out on the best thing to happen to her, and she was still trying to convince herself that it had been the right thing to do! Surely she had lost her marbles.

Another crack of thunder and she blinked at him, the words still rolling over in her head like putty: going steady with you… She had not asked him to come find her. She had intended him not to, because she figured when he did his group would be with and she would endure the repercussions of her foolishness. But it was not the case. He had indeed found her, by what means she still didn't know, and was he really asking to go steady? With her?

She opened her mouth to say something…but didn't know what to say. She was frozen by those words, his confidence once again where it needed to be…and that blush! She had never seen him blush. Aurora recalled when he had stumbled upon her in the astronomy tower, how he had fidgeted and shied away. But he had not blushed. Not until this moment…

She sniffed and tried to wipe her face of the wetness. She was still crying.

"….really?"

It was a stupid thing to say, and she knew it. But for the life of her Aurora couldn't get anything more out. She was utterly dumbfounded and awe-struck and overwhelmed with emotion. She wanted to get up and run to him. She wanted to be held and coddled. She wanted him to kiss her again so she could leave this crazy earth behind. Needless to say, she couldn't even bring herself to stand. Her knees had gone weak and now she cried with relief. These mood-swings were exhausting; rougher than a trip across the ocean during a hurricane. Why couldn't she just be happily in love and that be the end of it?

She hiccupped suddenly at the thought and her eyes grew wide. Aurora saw the confusion flicker across Rudy's face, but she had just stunned herself. She had used the unforgivable "L" word. And though she had not said it, she had thought it. Suddenly she caught herself looking at him entirely different. Did she really think she…no. Of course she didn't. If she loved him, she would not have walked out on him…love didn't work like this. Love would've made this whole experience a smooth ride. And a smooth ride was the farthest from what she had just experienced.

* * *

"Yes, really," he said, and his smile was boyish and genuine and a bit goofier than it usually was. He sat down next to her, relieved to have named the problem. It could be fixed now. He pulled his handkerchief out of his back pocket, put an arm around her shoulders, and wiped her face himself. If a watery smile, it was still a smile; and Rudy had never been so happy to see one stuck to her face. She beamed at him.

"I'll get you flowers all the time, and a new bag, and walk you to class and sit with you in the library, and teach people to stop teasing you." His mind raced with the possibilities. "We can spend days in Hogsmeade, and have more suppers by the lake, or breakfasts if you want, and I'll teach you to swing dance on the roof of the astronomy tower, and—" He paused, suddenly struck with the idea. "And you can come to the Yule Ball with me! What do you say?"

Quite suddenly she was kissing him. She had turned and launched herself into his lap, closed her eyes and creased her forehead, and held his head in her hands as she kissed him. He could feel her chest heave against his own; he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer…

Another crack of thunder shook the air, the sky a strange yellowed color, the storm threatening any moment. Aurora's tongue found its way into Rudy's mouth. Rudy's hands pressed her back, slid lower, and found her beautifully rounded hips and buttocks. Aurora was leaning so hard into the kiss she was going to knock him flat backwards.

The heavens unleashed, dumping new rain on the world all at once. Aurora gasped and jerked backward, turning her face up to the rain and then over to Rudy, happy and utterly stunned…

She laughed. An excited, delighted laugh. She stood, tore off her sweatshirt, spread her arms and twirled in the rain as it pounded her face. She reached down, pulled Rudy, her Rudy, out of the mud. He caught her hand, danced with her for a few beats. Her smile and her laughter were infectious. He leaned back and let the rain fall into his mouth, shook his hair like a dog, slinging it through the storm.

Another crack of thunder. Rudy pulled Aurora into his arms and lifted her off the ground and spun her in a circle, hugging her to his chest. She was kissing him again.

The garden was dancing with rain water as vines grew drastically, swelling with the storm, and racing across the ground in curls and heavy leaves. Flowers shrank back in on themselves, bruised by the force of the rain; roots plowed into the ground.

And Aurora and Rudy held each other tightly in the pouring rain, kissing as if nobody could or ever would see them.

At her first shiver from the cold, Rudy threw up a shield charm over their heads and ran with her to an overhang, where he dried her clothes and hair with his wand, and briefly lost himself in kissing her again.

"Hang on," he said, pulling himself away at last. "Your bag. Then we can go and eat." He jogged back out to the vegetable patch, picked up Aurora's books and bag and jogged back, drying them before he dried himself off, laying the books in a neat stack on the stone floor, away from the damp. He started emptying her bag, and came across the doll. He took it out, handling the worn thing gently, slid his thumb over the tear in the middle. He held it up.

"Who is this?" He stood and handed the doll back to her.

"My—my grandmother made it for me. My mother's mother. We don't see them much." She poked her finger into the hole, her smile slipping slightly.

Rudy drew his wand and pointed it at the doll. "Reparo."

The tear slid closed, the stuffing tucked safely inside.

Aurora looked up at him, touched by the spell. He fixed it. He had fixed it. Sewn it all back together.

Rudy bent down to pick up her books, cramming it all back inside her bag. "We really need to get you a new one of these." He reached out and took one of her hands, swinging it slightly in his own as they walked together towards the dining hall.


	9. Jury and Judgement

**The Sinistriad**  
_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 9

* * *

**A/N:** **We've just started a community and we wish to fill it with HP stories that cater to the lesser characters-as ours does. If you have read any good ones or wish to be part of the Community staff, shoot us a review. :) Thanks for reading and please review!**

* * *

Aurora skipped all the way into the castle with Rudy, her doll tucked under one arm, and her other hand embedded safely within his. Despite the cold and the wet, Aurora couldn't stop smiling; could she have asked for a more perfect ending to an otherwise miserable day? He was hers! Rodolphus Lestrange, Slytherin prince, Quidditch legend, and the most sought after piece of mansteak in the whole of Hogwarts was HERS. Aurora turned it over and over in her head. And he wasn't just hers to snog; they were _going steady!_ She could kiss him to her heart's content, look at him adoringly, dance in his protective arms, listen to his poetry, gaze at the stars curled up against his chest, and for once in her life be utterly happy with someone who was just as happy with her. She had never experienced such ecstasy before. How could this have happened? She was not worthy of him, not of his standard, not of any importance in a world that didn't have room for her kind…but it didn't matter. Rudy had come to her, and she was at his mercy.

When they arrived just outside the Great Hall, Aurora pulled Rudy to a halt and quickly placed her doll back within her bag. Being with Rudy was going to be a means for talk the way it was; the doll she would never live down. As she did so, though, his free hand cupped her chin and brought her lips back to his, still trying to fill his addiction. Aurora knew people were walking by. She could sense the stares as the students came and went from dinner and happened upon them snogging in the hallway. But what did she care? It was RUDY and bloody hell could he kiss…

"Get a room."

It was a sneer Aurora was not expecting and Bellatrix strode past them, her nose planted in the air and her face twisted into one of loathing.

Aurora looked curiously at Rudy who was sneering back, and she felt his arm tighten around her.

"She bitter, you think?"

Rudy nodded grimly. "Just a little. Come on."

He paused to grin at her; despite Bella's rude interference he was still beaming and quite ready to show off just how happy he was with his girlfriend.

Until he saw the Great Hall. The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach was met with a voracious defiance. He lifted his chin, fire in his eyes, and tightened his hand around Aurora's.

They walked in. Many students had been aroused by those ahead of Rudy and Aurora, and their heads all turned to watch them enter. Aurora gripped Rudy's hand a bit tighter and her stomach churned. She wanted to believe she was safe with him, but the stares unnerved her and some part of her still expected the joke to be revealed. But staring was all that happened, along with a few subtle sneers and whispers. Rudy strode forward, keeping her close to his side, and his eyes threatened any whom dared look at them wrong.

"Where do we sit? Ravenclaw or Slytherin?" Aurora asked him quietly. It was rare for students not to sit at their own tables, and some subtle part of her question begged him not to leave her. Sitting together would be awkward; sitting alone would be murder. Looking between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables, she couldn't decide where she wanted to go. Part of her knew Rudy would want to be with his friends, but she also knew that being Rudy's girlfriend didn't give her automatic friend rights. Would they ever accept her? They were less likely to get picked on at the Ravenclaw table, despite the connections Rudy had with the Slytherins, but she knew they would shun him, too.

Rudy smiled softly at her, at the speed of the wheels turning in her head. She didn't want to sit with the Slytherins, that much was clear; her voice could barely get the word out. Why she was worried about bringing him to the Ravenclaws he didn't know, but he would brave the geeks for her. "Ravenclaw. You lead."

A flicker of emotion crossed her face, and then she stepped as confidently forward as she could manage, striding purposefully past her jealous roommates and brought Rudy towards the end of the table where more first years were seated. They were less likely to whisper, interrogate, or bash the new couple. She plopped down on the first open bench and Rudy squeezed in next to her and gave a humble nod to those around him. Once she got over the initial looks of confusion and wonder, Aurora dished up some food for herself and smiled as she felt Rudy's foot sidle up alongside hers, so their legs were touching and they were as close as they could be.

The gesture, and his smile, made her feel like melting. The food looked good but Rudy looked better. His long dark hair was tussled and hung around his eyes so mysteriously—she loved that about him. The way he could look rugged and unbelievably attractive no matter what the situation. Even the way he ate; one elbow slightly propped next to his plate, while he brought the food up to his mouth with the other and glanced around with that confident look he had. _Bloody hell_ he was gorgeous! The chiseled lines on his face, the furrow of his brow, the scope of his neck and width of his shoulders…

Rudy caught her staring at him and chuckled as he chewed.

"Are you going to eat?" He asked. Poking her side he added, "Something on my face?"

Aurora blinked. "Oh. No. I'm sorry…" She hastily dished up more food and blushed, taking a spoonful of corn and chewing quietly.

Rudy watched her, and smiled to himself. He liked the way she blushed when caught checking him out. He already knew how she felt about him, but it never hurt the ego to find the other person drooling over you. He reached under the table and rested his hand on her knee, squeezing it lightly just so she knew he was thinking about her. Aurora glanced sideways at him and grinned, taking another bite of food and looking around. Suddenly, the gossiping and stares didn't seem so bad. And they shouldn't. She was with Rudy and nothing else really mattered…

And suddenly she was kissing him again. Without warning Aurora had swallowed her bite, dropped her fork, and leaned over to catch his lips before he shoveled a mound of potatoes into his mouth. He simply HAD to know how much she adored him. She couldn't find words to express it and her heart was so swollen with affection for him that she felt like she would explode. Thankfully, he didn't hinder her…but Professor Adisa did. Just a few seconds into their kiss and a firm hand rested on her shoulder.

"Elsewhere, Mr. Lestrange. Miss Sinistra. Not at the dining table."

Aurora blushed deeper and smiled sheepishly up at her.

"Sorry, Professor."

Rudy mumbled similar and they both turned back to their dinner. No sooner had Adisa stepped away from them, that Aurora burst into a giggling fit, utterly horrified that they had been stopped but amazed that she even _had_ to be stopped! She had never even kissed someone before Rudy and here she was getting SCOLDED for doing it in public! The whole situation struck her as hilarious, and she couldn't stop the giggles that consumed her.

* * *

Rudy poked her in the ribs, but Aurora giggled all the harder. Warily, Rudy glanced around the table at the stares and glared at them all—but the stares continued.

"…Aurora?"

Tears were leaking out of her eyes.

Rudy shrugged, and turned to look at all of the staring eyes again. He searched for a face he knew, someone he could make conversation with. There was no one.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Rudy." He stuck out a hand across the table to a young, dark-skinned boy. The boy glanced around at the rest of the nearby table. Nobody moved. Aurora continued to giggle.

"What's your name?"

The boy glanced down at Rudy's hand, blinked forcibly, and abruptly reached out and shook it.

"Sh—Sharif," he stuttered, and squeezed his eyes shut again, withdrew his hand and looked away.

Rudy pulled out his handkerchief and thrust it across the table. "If you need a something to dab your eyes…"

Ravenclaw table exploded with laughter, and Rudy immediately stiffened. What in the hell was so funny that they dared to laugh at _him_?

Sharif blinked hard, three times. "It is a m—m—mark of intelligence, h-h-h-h-halfwit…" He glanced nervously around the table, dared a small smile, then looked away and blinked again. Rudy raised an unimpressed eyebrow, but he felt Aurora nudge him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know." He raised his hands and looked around the table, smiling as best he could. "Joke's on me, everyone…"

The Ravenclaws laughed again, and even Sharif dared a high-pitched nervous giggle through his twitch. Rudy stopped himself from rolling his eyes and dug into his food. "Only in Ravenclaw," he muttered.

Aurora shook her head in amusement. "The magical population in India considers Sharif blessed. Right Sharif?"

Sharif nodded, hunched his shoulders, turned down to his food and started shoveling it into his mouth as though he couldn't wait to flee the table.

As Aurora had apparently regained her composure, Rudy turned and looked at her. She smiled encouragingly at him. Things would be so difficult if they wouldn't accept him. Ravenclaws were fickle and arrogant. Rudy was a good student, certainly, but he was a Slytherin—he chose to value things other than knowledge…

"Please, Aurora. Introduce me to your friends." She took a deep breath and opened her mouth but Rudy continued. "It will be difficult to have dinner if it consists of merely laughter."

_Oh Rudy, don't._ Aurora spoke quickly, placed a hand over one of his, and silently begged him to hold his tongue. "Well—this is Ravenclaw low table. High table…" She pointed to the other end, where a group of Ravenclaws were avidly discussing something that involved much waving around of parchment. "…is where students who wish to study during mealtimes sit. Except on Mondays, when the Ravenclaw judiciary meets."

"What?" Rudy was taken aback. "You mean the prefects sit around talk about how to punish students?"

Many of the nearby Ravenclaws bristled. "No," Aurora said. "And watch your tone, Rudy. A lot of students take pride in their house very seriously, just like Slytherins."

Rudy glanced around the table again. "I'm sorry," he said. "I spoke poorly. I beg your pardon." There was a pause in which the Ravenclaws glared at him. "I'm still not sure I understand…"

Aurora pointed out three people—two girls and a boy. "Jason, Mita, and Navet are all on fourth-year council for the judiciary, which is where we settle in-house disputes, and that is all I am allowed to say about it."

Rudy gave her a quizzical look. "You're not a Ravenclaw," She shot at him playfully, and he gave her a hungry smile, as though he was about to tickle it out of her. She changed the subject quickly.

"This is Sharif, you've met him—and this is Xeno, Simon, Mary, and Trig." She smiled adoringly up at him. "Everybody, this is Rudy Lestrange—"

_DON'T SAY IT— _every fiber of Rudy's body drew breath for fear of the words that would spill so happily from her lips-

"—my boyfriend."

Aurora giggled again, and looked expectantly up at him.

* * *

Now it was Rudy's turn to shrink in his seat. _What have I done?_ The stares had nearly doubled as the words were left up in the air to be judge, prodded, and debated. _Boyfriend_. He knew it was inevitable, after all, he _WAS_…wasn't he? _Going steady_—that's what he had said to her. They had just snogged endlessly, danced in the rain and held hands…that constituted as boyfriend, sure enough. But did she really need to reiterate it by _saying_ it? By the looks everyone was giving them, it was obvious they had already figured it out anyway, so there was no reason for her to flaunt the word carelessly like that…_don't you know how dangerous that word is?_

Guilt washed over him. Guilt for not thinking about it, for not realizing what he was really doing when he went to Aurora. For feeling this way, even if it was legitimate. He had been so happy two seconds ago; just to sit next to her, to see her smile. To laugh at the playfulness she was showing him. Why did he suddenly feel so emberassed? Where had this panic come from?

_She's a poor half-blood Ravenclaw…What have you done…_

Rudy dug into his food with new vigor, suddenly wanting to get out of the dining hall as soon as possible. It wouldn't change that she had said it, but at least then he wouldn't have to endure the discomfort of all these stares before he knew how to deal with them. Anger flared in his chest. He was Rodolphus Lestrange; he shouldn't _have_ to feel uncomfortable! No one had the right to judge him!

He felt Aurora's eyes on him and one look at her and everything he was feeling tripled. His panic, his defiant insistence on remaining in his seat beside her. So what if the world knew? Let anybody try and take her away. Let any other man try and lay his hands on her. It was her eyes—they would be his downfall every time he looked into them. Rudy was helplessly lost to their depths and intensity; he could deny them nothing. He would never deny her anything. Especially not his protection. He would allow no one to make pain or sadness flicker in those eyes again. He had never seen such eyes before and he knew that more than her body and her appreciation of poetry and the stars…it was in those eyes that he found himself enraptured.

"Rudy…?"

Her voice was quiet, but persistent. Rudy blinked a few times and realized he had completely blown off all those she had introduced to hide behind shovels of food. So he nodded at them stiffly, to appease Aurora, and went back to eating. Aurora studied him astutely and he cursed silently. He knew she was reading his blush, his hesitation, and his embarrassment. The last thing he wanted was for it to seem like everything he had said and done just a few minutes ago was a lie. But to his shame, that's exactly what it was coming off as. Realizing it, he fought the feeling and the sudden surge of guilt.

He swallowed and turned to Aurora. She had gone back to eating with a frown of thoughtfulness on her face.

"Aurora," He leaned closer to her ear so he wouldn't have to be heard by everyone. "Can I introduce you to my friends?"

Aurora paused in her eating, but didn't face him. His friends were the ones she was most concerned about. Sure the Ravenclaws snickered and stared, but they would not dare openly insult Rudy like the Slytherins would do to her. The Slytherins had a long history of bullying Aurora, and she doubted dating Rudy would change that. In fact, it may very well subject HIM to such teasing as well and she felt guilty enough the way it was, without purposefully going over to them and starting it all.

Rudy sensed her hesitation and saw her eyes drop. But he had to do this, he _HAD_ to. If he was going to prove to himself that this was what he wanted, he would have to face his friends and be just as bold as Aurora was. He was _Rodolphus Lestrange_. No one messed with him. He had nothing to hide, and if anyone did have a problem he had no quarrels removing them of it immediately.

Rudy took her hand and kissed her knuckles reassuringly.

"Please, Aurora? It will be fast, and I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

Aurora turned to look at him with big eyes. She was terrified. Already her hand holding the fork was shaking slightly, and her mind was loading with snide comebacks and fast insults. She was like a gun, locked and loaded and bracing to fire. But he had endured the Ravenclaws. He had braved their stares and smart remarks for her. She had no choice now but to return the favor.

Aurora nodded silently, after a long pause, and took a final bite before standing with him. He did not release her hand and she clung to his side as they made their way to the Slytherin table. It was if they were expecting them; their leader was returning to the pack and every one of the primly dressed and greasy Slytherins sat a bit straighter and looked at Rudy emotionless as he approached. Aurora spotted Snape at the other end of the table and suddenly wished she could duck out of this introduction to be with him instead. He was a friend. These…these purebloods…these spoiled, wealthy jerks were not worth her time.

Rudy held her hand firm as he approached them, and he did not smile at them as friends do. He nodded at each one of them, and they greeted him with quiet, "Hey.—Lestrange.—How's it?—What's up?" Standing next to the table, with Aurora a step behind him, he regarded them with his cool composure. The only one who hadn't greeted him was Avery. He was eyeing Aurora with such disdain it spilled onto the table. The others were patiently waiting for Rudy to explain the visit.

"Did the rain oust your plans for flying?" Rudy asked casually to the boy sitting immediately in front of him.

Bletchley nodded. "Yeah, we're going to go out to the pitch tomorrow. You should come."

Rudy nodded. "Still got potions to finish, though."

Nott laughed. "Since when do any of us do potions early, Lestrange? Put it off until the weekend. Ask Parkinson; last time he tried to do his potions essay early, he missed the twins."

Marcus Parkinson shook his head at Nott's accusation, though the others laughed. They were making an effort to pretend they didn't notice Aurora.

"If those twins had given you the time of day, you wouldn't be here with time to mock me for being studious." Parkinson shot back, and the others sniggered.

"No, he'd be up at Hogsmeade, enjoying a hot threesome." Higgins piped up. "Maybe a foursome, if I paid him enough."

Nott hit him over the head.

"Three's a crowd," Parkinson laughed, and then he made the transition Aurora was dreading. "Lestrange knows. Otherwise he'd have two girls on his arm."

Rudy raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. Now was his chance, he had to say it. "I've traveled that road, and it was too congested. I'm happy with the one I've got."

Aurora felt all eyes on her now. She pretended to be interested in something at the far end of the table, but their eyes were scrutinizing every inch of her. She shouldn't have worn a dress. It was as if she could feel the snakes sliding up her legs and around every curve. She hated the way the Slytherin purebloods felt it was their right to check out every girl, and do it blatantly. She knew she didn't have a bad figure by any means, but it was uncomfortable.

"So…you're sticking with one?" Nott asked, taping his fork against the edge of the plate as he narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Aurora. She felt like they were talking business, or dealing with racehorses like her father—inspecting her for flaws, noting her breed, laying a fair price…

Rudy nodded. Briefly met his brother's eyes, looked back to Greg.

Parkinson looked between the two of them, while Higgins nodded as if giving his graces before asking awkwardly, "What's…her name again?"

Nott rolled his eyes, but Rudy beat him to the answer.

"My bad," Rudy said lightly, though the next words were forced out with great effort. "Guys, this is Aurora…my…girlfriend…"

He struggled to keep the cringe off his face, but he let out a low breath. He had done it. He had said the word. The boys didn't seem surprised by it, even though the other Slytherins nearby were casting their sneers in the couple's direction, and then some of the tension broke.

_It could be worse_, they all seemed to say, and mentally shrugged her off. Everyone knew Aurora was attractive and smart, and one hell of a Quidditch player…but they kept quiet about his lack of judgment overall. If he wanted to be a fool, let him. Everybody knew better than to defend a blood traitor; but everybody knew better than to deny Rodolphus Lestrange.

Except Avery. Rudy had been watching him, his temper mounting quickly. The doughy shit was just itching to say something. His eyes still bore into Aurora as if willing her to disappear from Rudy's side, and his fist was clenched on the table. He thought Rudy had lost his mind! She was a filthy squibspawn. This was not the way of the purebloods—and be damned if Rudy would bring one of them to their table! Avery and Rudy did not let go of their stares.

"Good match…" Parkinson said at length to Aurora, in an attempt at nonchalant conversation.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

Rudy continued to eye each one of them smartly, daring one to say something negative. And then he rested his gaze back on Avery.

"What's got your knickers in a knot, Avery?" Rudy smirked at him. The others looked between the two, sensing the tension. Utensils were laid down, mouths wiped.

Avery tore his eyes away from Aurora to level with Rudy, his face still distorted with disgust, and his eyes fierce.

"Oh, Rudy. I didn't even see you there," His voice was filled with resentment. "There's a squibspawn in the way."

Rudy wasn't fazed by his attempt to insult him. "Someone get this man laid." Nott, Higgins, Bletchley, and Parkinson all sniggered. "That should cheer him up and put some color in his cheeks."

"Speaking of cheeks," Avery stood abruptly to square with Rudy, the laughter pushing him over the edge. How _dare_ they laugh at _him_, when Rudy was standing right there with a half-blood! "It's a shame she's a filthy squibspawn not worthy to be spat on. She's a fine piece of ass, but if you wanted a whore we could have found you a clean one—"

Aurora couldn't even be angry, for the words had hardly left Avery's mouth before Rudy's fist had connected with his face. Avery crumbled like a paper plate, clutching his face and falling from the bench to the floor, cursing loudly. Rudy towered over him in a second, but Avery was just as pissed. He kicked out and connected with Rudy's knee, and as Rudy staggered Avery clamored to his feet with an attempt to retrieve his wand. But it had rolled away on the floor so Avery did the next best thing and swung at him, nailing Rudy's eye. But Rudy was bigger, and the pain was not enough to hinder him any.

The entire hall was in a frenzy; the boys at the table cheering on their two friends, and the other students clamoring to see what was happening. It was rare to see a fist fight amongst top Slytherins.

Rudy's large fist found its target and doubled Avery over when it embedded itself in his stomach. Then grabbing him by the collar and pulling out his wand, Rudy held Avery in front of him, wand tip digging into Avery's ribs. Aurora was speechless, a hand over her mouth in shock as she took in the scene. Avery was bleeding and red in the face as the entire crowd riled them up for more.

"Say it again," Rudy sneered. "Say it again, and I will make your ass the only recognizable part of your body."

"Although I am sure you both have a legitimate reason to be angry with each other, I suggest that you stop this fight immediately."

Dumbledore surveyed them carefully, his eyebrows raised.

Rudy wasn't listening. "Finally found cause to shut your runaway mouth, Avery? Maybe you're remembering what your dear _cousin_ just recently did to lose half your family fortune—maybe you know you're not supposed to speak out of turn to your betters—"

"Rudy," Dumbledore said quietly, and Rudy flinched at the use of his nickname. He forcibly threw Avery down between benches, and seething he turned to Dumbledore, pointed a furious finger, and shouted. "HE INSULTED ME! HE AS GOOD AS SPAT ON MY GIRLFRIEND—" Realizing the extent of the injury again, Rudy moved towards Avery, ready to deal more physical pain.

"Stop," Dumbledore said, and Rudy snarled at Avery from where he was standing. Avery scooted backwards.

"She deserves it," Avery spat. "She's filth, and you know it."

"I WILL DROWN YOU IN THESTRAL PISS—"

"GO ON AND TRY—"

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore's shout dimmed every candle in the room and hushed every voice. Quiet thunder rolled across the roof of the Great Hall, rain falling again. A pause stretched across the students and pressed on ringing ears. "I will see you both in Professor Slughorn's Office, where you will proceed _now_. Currently, I believe fifty points from Slytherin is a just punishment, to start. Do you think another amount would be more suitable?"

Silence still. "Fifty points from Slytherin, then."

"I don't care," snarled Rudy. Several angry shouts from the Slytherin table erupted. "I DON'T CARE!" He bellowed, turning furiously to face them. "Nobody insults me, or my family, or my girlfriend either!"

"I am sure Professor Slughorn will hear both sides of the story. I will see you escorted to his office myself."

Rudy shoved his way past Dumbledore's courteously outstretched arm, forced himself to avoid smashing Avery to a bloodied pulp with his heel, and slammed his way out of the doors of the Great Hall.

"Miss Sinistra… if you would follow, please?"

Aurora nodded numbly, Dumbledore's reassuring smile the only thing that uprooted her frozen feet from the ground and propelled her forward. Avery dealt her a scathing look as he rose. Fury rising in his face again, he spat at Aurora, but missed. Wiping his face on his sleeve, he stalked after Rudy.


	10. A Big Deal

**The Sinistriad**  
_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 10

* * *

Rudy was waiting outside the door. _See if they can stop me. Watch them try. I'll make him sorry—how dare he speak to me like that—_

Dumbledore emerged from the Great Hall just as Avery did. "Your wand, Mr. Lestrange," Dumbledore said slowly. "As per our agreement?"

After a moment of murderous hesitation, Rudy glared menacingly at Avery, and laid his wand handle-first in Dumbledore's hand, reluctant to let go of it.

Aurora gasped. "You—you're—he's not _expelled_ is he?"

Rudy looked into her frightened face. "It's all right," he said, deflating, almost embarrassed that she should see him at his worst this way. He looked away. "I tend to be unable to control my temper, at times, and it is best for everyone, and especially the windows, that I don't carry a wand." _And it's best for everyone that I don't ever go near you again._ He glanced back at Aurora, and forgot the idea almost as soon as he had thought it. He stepped forward and took her trembling hand. "It's all right, starshine."

Avery glared at their entwined fingers as though they did him personal wrong. "_Starshine?_" The word rolled out of his mouth like vomit. "Starshine," he repeated, amused and disgusted all at once.

"Aurora and Rudy do nothing to offend you directly, Mr. Avery, and in the best interest of Slytherin's position in the running for the house cup, you may wish to stop speaking." Avery glared at Dumbledore.

"Now then. If we have all taken a moment to cool our feet…" Dumbledore looked between the boys, and seeing them quelled for the moment, he continued. "Let us continue to Professor Slughorn's office."

It was a quiet walk down towards the dungeons. Rudy refused to look at her, his face solidly impassive, but he held tightly to Aurora's hand, determined to show her that she had nothing to fear, from Avery or anyone else, while he stood next to her. Dumbledore strode between Rudy and Avery, presumably to forestall any further attacks of one boy on the next.

When they arrived at Slughorn's office, Dumbledore opened the dungeon doors. "In," he said simply. "I will speak privately with Miss Sinistra." Rudy squeezed Aurora's hand once and regally strode into the room behind Avery, a full head taller and much more composed. Aurora watched him go, stunned by the whole episode.

Dumbledore nodded back up the stairs once the door had shut behind the two boys.

"To my office then, if you would."

* * *

Aurora walked up to his office without any conversation. She was still recovering from the shock, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her robe and her bag feeling heavier on her shoulder. She knew she had nothing to fear; _she_ had not attacked anyone. But the thought of what would become of Rudy…she didn't want to lose him. She had only just _gotten_ him! Dumbledore closed the door behind them and moved to sit behind his desk, sweeping his wand and placing a chair in front of it for Aurora. She sat on the edge of her seat and watched him arrange a few objects on his desk. He seemed calm and composed, as he always did, and his eyes twinkled when he looked up at her. He did not seem as upset as Aurora would have guessed him to be. Now that they were alone, the atmosphere was much more relaxed and he regarded her over his folded hands.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded numbly.

He gave an understanding smile. "Do you need some water?"

"No, thank you."

A slight nod and he leaned back in his chair. Now that the formalities were out of the way, the questioning could begin.

"Do you mind sharing what happened?" He asked quietly.

Aurora wanted to say, _"Yes, actually I do mind…it's not anyone's business"_ but instead she looked down at her hands and said simply, "Avery said some offensive things, Rudy hit him, he hit back…." She shrugged.

Dumbledore was not put out by her shortness, but paused a moment to tap his long fingers against one another.

"What did Avery say?"

Aurora inhaled sharply. That really was the part she preferred not to repeat. But as she thought about it, she realized that if it looked as though Rudy had started the fight without any reason, he wouldn't stay at Hogwarts for long. So very quietly, almost mumbled, she repeated the comment to Dumbledore, unable to look at him. He strained to hear her, but nodded nonetheless and looked thoughtful.

"He insulted _you_, then. Not Rodolphus."

Aurora nodded meekly.

"Why didn't _you_ hit him?"

Aurora looked up, rather surprised by this question. "…because…" Was this some sort of trick question? She considered her words carefully, but when she answered it was confident. "…because I didn't have a chance to. Rudy beat me to it."

The faintest flicker of a smile tugged at Dumbledore's thin lips, but he said nothing more of it. Instead he leaned forward and said with a sigh, "Frankly, Aurora, I'm not sure what to tell you. If there is a way to halt the discrimination, do share because assigning detentions and punishments doesn't seem to be doing anything except raising the tension. Now instead of purebloods against everyone else, it's pureblood against pureblood…"

He looked at her as though she had an answer to this, but really Aurora was just as baffled.

"I don't think there is anything _to_ do, professor." She said honestly. "You're talking about changing thoughts that were passed down for generations. I guess I've just accepted that they won't look at me any differently, no matter what you threaten them with."

"Rodolphus certainly looks at you differently," Dumbledore corrected with a smile. "What changed his mind? He could be the start of a revolution, don't you think? He's an important figure among the Slytherins especially. "

Aurora smiled despite herself, but shook her head. "I don't know what changed Rudy…but Avery is proof that not everyone is so easily changed. And I'm willing to bet more students are like Avery than Rudy. In fact, I know they are. If they were like Rudy, I would have discovered them long before now and dated a few of them."

Dumbledore shared a laugh with her and stood from his seat.

"My dear Aurora…I feel for you. It is a shame that blood blinds even the smartest of people. You don't deserve the treatment you are dealt, and I will be the first to acknowledge that the ways of this school, though improving, have a tendency to favor the purebloods…"

He trailed off, looking pensively out the window. Aurora remained quiet as he pondered his own words, and when he turned back to her, she stood as well. "But, on the bright side, seeing you and Rodolphus together gives me hope. Blood blinds, but hearts speak…"

Aurora chewed her lip, followed him to the door of his classroom, and turned to him abruptly before she left.

"Professor, please don't suspend Rudy. He was only sticking up for me, and it really is my own fault it happened at all. I should've known going to the Slytherin table would—"

He held up a hand, silencing her immediately. "He _will_ be punished for fighting, Aurora…" Dumbledore said sternly and Aurora's face fell. "…but, he will also be rewarded for standing up for what's right."

Aurora looked up at him and her smile was huge.

"Thank you, professor!" She said, hugging him without thinking about it.

Dumbledore chuckled, placed a firm hand on her shoulder, and stepped away.

"Now now, Miss Sinistra. Please spare me Rudy's fist. Old faces such as mine are not easy to replace."

Aurora blushed furiously and apologized as she scurried away from him and back to her room. Now she only hoped that Rudy would not endure too harsh of a scolding. But if Dumbledore had any say in it, he would at least avoid suspension and that was all Aurora cared. Hurrying past all the questions in the Ravenclaw common room, Aurora was relieved when she found her room empty. She changed into her pajamas and tied a furry, dark blue robe around her shivering body. The rain always made the tower rooms cold, but she didn't mind. Rain also meant she was able to sit in the window and do her homework to the sound of it bouncing off the castle. She loved the sound of rain. Opening the window slightly, she propped a pillow behind her back and rested her feet on the stone wall of the windowsill. With her eyes closed she took a deep breath and smiled at the scent of wet grass. There was nothing more relaxing than the soft pitter-patter of a fresh rain.

Her homework was the only thing keeping her from worrying about Rudy. One hour passed. And then another, and still there was no word from him. The room got darker and darker, but since it was Friday most girls remained in the common rooms, toasting with smuggled butterbeers. Aurora didn't mind. She found her wand and lit the candles in the room so she could see her homework, and every now and then she scribbled snippets of verse or doodled alongside her homework. Even when he was not with her, Rudy was such a distraction. Her homework should've been done by now, but she ended up spending more time staring dreamily out into the night. Little was getting done. She really was helpless over the boy, and even though seeing him fight was terrifying, Aurora couldn't help but smirk at her own reflection in the glass. The way he punched immediately after she had been insulted…the confidence and raw power in those arms…

"Hot. Bloody hot." Aurora laughed and reached down to the floor where her bag sat and pulled out her doll. She looked her over, and ran her finger over where the tear had been. "You should've seen it, Lisa. Even you would've been impressed."

The doll stared blankly at her, and with a kiss to her forehead Aurora replaced the doll back on her bed.

* * *

Rudy strode forward and sat in one of the plush armchairs inside Slughorn's office. How often he had sprawled here, thinking of ways to talk himself out of trouble; placidly receiving Slughorn's favor and praise, talking about Transfiguration, bantering Quidditch back and forth between the boys…Slughorn laughing and chewing on the candied pineapple, inspecting his collection of students…

_Dog and pony shows._ That's what they were called among the students. The Slytherins spoke of them with such disdain, and yet… didn't they all secretly crave Slughorn's favor? Want him as a bridge or a connection? Didn't they see past the greasy schoolteacher exterior to something, really _something_ underneath it all? After all, he was successful. What was his parentage, again?

Slughorn himself emerged from his bedroom, dressed in a sumptuous robe and a nightcap, toting a cup of oak matured meade in his massive, fat fist. He set the glass down, stood in front of Avery and began fixing the boy's face, siphoning away the blood and healing the injuries Rudy's fist had inflicted. Rudy stared stoically, straight ahead. Slughorn finished, patted Avery once on the shoulder, and turned to seat his massive form behind his desk. "Fifty points," he said gravely, clutching his chest as though the mere thought of such a blow to the Slytherin House Cup score caused him palpitations and physical pain. Apparently Avery felt it himself, for he kicked out at Slughorn's desk and swore.

"He was defending that dirty squib-shit Sinistra—"

"SHE'S MY GIRLFRIEND—" Rudy growled, a flush creeping back up into his face again despite his intense effort to remain cool.

"AND THAT MAKES YOU A BLOOD TRAITOR!"

Rudy stood up so quickly his chair fell backward. "What did you call me?"

Silence fell, even Slughorn stunned by the accusation. "I think you had me confused with someone else, Avery. I think you mistook my surname for _Black_." He paused, letting the weight his family carried sink in, what it would mean to really accuse Rodolphus Lestrange of such a treason. Rudy was royalty in comparison.

"Really, Thomas," Slughorn said at last. "Keep your temper in check."

"My apologies, _Master_ Lestrange," Avery spat, and threw himself out of his chair. "But don't ask me to go around bowing before you like you deserve some sort of applause for getting in its pants—"

"I wasn't in her pants, but at least I've seen the inside of a few more pair than YOU have—"

"It," Avery corrected, and Rudy lunged for Avery again.

"BOYS!" Slughorn shouted, interrupting Rudy's attack midmotion. "Dear me, what a nasty business of temper we have going—Dumbledore took your wand, I assume, Rodolphus?"

"Yes," Rudy spat, slamming his chair as he picked it back up. "But if I had it, I'd hex off Avery's balls and shove them up one of his nostrils. Assuming they weren't too small to find. Professor."

"You must admit it's wrong of him, Professor. He's embarrassing his family and his race." Avery sat down carefully in front of Slughorn's desk, as though imploring his professor to see reason. "Think of what he stands to lose if he gets caught fornicating with a mudblood."

"Language, Avery! Do please speak civilly when you are in my office. And I shan't be saying anything of the kind. You know muggle-borns are tolerated at Hogwarts, and seem to produce reasonable levels of magic."

"She's _not_ a muggleborn." Rudy snarled.

"Her _father_ was a squib," Avery shot back.

"Avery. Rudy. What do I have to say that will make either of you look a little less murderous? I daresay I stand to lose a valuable student if either one of you dies."

"Tell him to stop insulting me and mine."

"Tell him to stop befouling my air with his squib-spawn breath."

"This is going nowhere," Slughorn sighed. "Rudy, keep your hands to yourself. Thomas, mind your mouth. You can be angry with each other if you wish, but I shan't tolerate any further displays of temper. Muggle dueling—MUGGLE dueling! Both of you, how utterly disgraceful!" Slughorn shook his disappointed head under his nightcap. "I think a week's worth of detentions is rightfully in order."

The boys were silent. "And, as much as it pains me to say it, I think you deserve the points taken away for embarrassing your house with that common behavior. Slytherin does have an image to project to the school, and to the magical community. Shouting and muggle dueling only calls attention to its occasional problems…" Slughorn paused, "Like the insatiable tempers of young men." Slughorn looked sternly between the two of them. "Am I going to awake to find more Slytherin bloodshed in the night?"

"No sir," Avery muttered.

"Rudy?" Slughorn prompted.

"No." Rudy responded, his anger threatening again. He'd break Avery's nose five times, if that's what it took to shut him up.

"Well then. Your next stop is back with the headmaster, and he shall decide if there is anything further to be done about your behavior." There was a pause in which Slughorn incredulously surveyed the boys in front of him. _Fine young men, good students, excellent families_—"Muggle dueling!" He exclaimed again. "At least use your wands next time."

* * *

Dumbledore did not rise from his seat when the boys entered his office, and as soon as they sat his stern voice betrayed his disappointment.

"Let me begin by making something very clear; you are both wizards. It has been your identity since you were born, and I expect that in future duels you will conduct yourselves accordingly. Secondly, I strongly encourage you to refrain from any such dueling within the walls of this school. Should such a fight happen again, the punishment would be…devastating. I kindly implore you then, to keep your tempers under control so that I may keep my suspension record clean."

He turned purposefully to Avery. "Mister Avery, you do realize that your race of purebloods will either die or succumb to madness in future generations if purebloods do not befriend those of lesser purity?"

Avery furiously stared straight ahead. Dumbledore allowed the slight protest to pass for assent to the lecture. He turned to Rudy.

"And you, Mister Lestrange. You already know how tenuous your disciplinary record is in this school. While I am glad to see that you were able to keep involuntary magic to a minimum, Muggle dueling is hardly better. I assure you that additional violence of any kind will bring neither you nor Miss Sinistra any further happiness or respect. Your behavior dishonors you both."

Rudy met Dumbledore's eyes. His mouth seemed too dry to speak and his body was so tense he thought he might pop. The anger swelled yet again—as if Rudy hadn't thought of all this! It wasn't his fault!

Dumbledore rested back in his chair, receiving a stony silence from both parties.

"Mister Avery, I have spoken to Professor Newton. During your detention periods, I wish you to work out together how many generations it will take to produce complete inbreeding by second cousins of pureblood wizards. Mister Lestrange, you will work with Professor Binns to compose a brief essay of controversial periods of social change in Wizarding History, with an emphasis on _successful_ approaches to integration of magical communities. 'Hogwarts, a History' may be a good starting point, considering our Four Founders and their differing opinions on purity. Hopefully you will both learn something, in the end?"

The headmaster waited for the slight nods of acknowledgement and then gestured for the boys to leave. Avery and Rudy refused to look at each other as they descended the stairs, each humiliated by the essay they were to write. Avery was simply angry—didn't his Headmaster know that pure blood could withstand itself? How ludicrous. How utterly demeaning to assume that this was not true. How unfair.

Rudy was much more unnerved. He didn't have a mission. He just wanted to date Aurora. It had nothing to do with mudbloods and squibs and the mixing of pure blood for everyone—it was just his personal choice—he wasn't thinking of _marrying_ her or anything…

As soon as they reached the hallway Avery stalked away without speaking, but Rudy lingered a few paces behind. Dumbledore was acting like he was the lead case in some sort of experiment… everything was getting blown out of proportion! Rudy just enjoyed her company, for crying out loud—he liked the way she looked him—

He crumpled against the wall, sat down and covered his head with his arms. This was terrible. Not good. Could be every bit as bad as Avery had suggested. He was going to be found out, he _knew_ it… and what then? What was his father going to say about it? Rudy felt some of the anger stirring in him again. _Who gives a hippogriff's hoof what he says? _It was a hollow protest. Feeble. His father's choice, his father's wish, his father's thought and opinion and every whim was law absolutely, as unbreakable as a Permanent Sticking Charm.

* * *

Aurora gave up. The girls were finally starting to file back into the room and that presented the perfect opportunity for her to leave. It had been far too long since she had heard from Rudy and her homework wasn't going to get finished if she didn't know that he was okay. She remembered Avery's fist connecting with his eye and cringed. Placing her belongings back in her trunk and grabbing a washcloth from the bathroom, she soaked it in cold water and pointed her wand at it. A moment later it froze and she tucked it into the pocket of her robe.

No one paid her any attention as she slipped out of the common room. After all, it was late and most of the students had more important things to do than watch Aurora; snog, cheat on homework…

With bare feet and in her dark robe it wasn't difficult for Aurora to meander the hallways undetected. She first checked the dungeons, but there was no one around and not a sound to indicate that Rudy was in the classroom. Frowning, she started back towards the Great Hall and when he wasn't there she started up towards the Headmasters office. She didn't see him immediately, but just as she was about to give up she spotted a body hunkered over in a dark hallway.

"Rudy?"

Her voice was soft and he looked up at her with worn eyes. As she knelt next to him in concern, she noticed his one eye was already showing signs of swelling.

"Are you alright? What did they say?" She placed a gentle hand on his arm and searched his face for an explanation. But he looked unfamiliar to her; an expression so new to his face that Aurora only recalled seeing it briefly once before—when she had brought up his parents. She thought to inquire further, but figured if he wanted to talk, he would. "Rudy?"

"A week's detention," He muttered quietly, so as not to alert the professors on hall duty. "Avery too…I'm sorry Aurora."

Aurora dismissed his apology with a relieved breath and a wave of her hand. He had not been suspended. Reaching into the pocket of her robe she pulled out the frozen washcloth.

"Here, I brought this for your eye. It'll help the swelling at least…" She pushed his shoulder gently and he leaned back against the wall. Carefully, she slid herself around to the front of him so she was stationed in-between his propped up knees, and then held the ice pack up against his eye. He closed his other and exhaled.

"Thanks."

"…though if I were you, I'd wear that proudly." Aurora said lightly, but he didn't respond. She chewed her lip and glanced around the hallway. It was too dark for anyone to immediately see them, but she still didn't fancy the idea of getting into more trouble. So with her free hand she found her wand and cast a silencing charm on the hallway. It would at least keep them from being heard.

"Rudy?"

"Hmm?"

"…thank you."

"Sure."

Aurora looked at him through the dark, and felt guilty for the first time. It was finally setting in just what "going steady" meant…and it was not her fairy tale ending. It was going to be a long hard road, and she knew it was because of her. Not that she had any control over it…but she was dragging Rudy with her. Rudy, who had everything going for him, was giving it all up to be with her. Had she guilt-tripped him into this arrangement just so she could better her own image? Did she only want him because he was the only one who would kiss her, hold her hand, talk to her?

Sitting here in the dark, his eye black and his chest heaving tired breaths, Rudy did not seem so intimidating anymore. He was just…Rudy. He wore the complexities and stress of the past week just as Aurora did. It had not been easy for him either and she began to appreciate just how much he was going through. She was not alone…

Aurora leaned forward and gave him a light kiss, just so he knew she appreciated his company.

"What was that for?"

She shrugged. "For being you."

* * *

"_You are such an embarrassment! Circe, Rodolphus, you're around your brother every day. Can't you learn from him, or are you too stupid to figure out how?"_

"_There's nothing wrong with stunt flying—it's not like I'm neglecting Quidditch—"_

"_How dare you—how dare you contradict me—"_

Rudy flinched and grabbed Aurora's wrist, pushed it away from his eye so that he could look at her, and her hesitant smile broke his heart. He couldn't. He couldn't bring her to his world. Hogwarts was just an escape. She didn't understand! Avery was nothing—Avery could be managed, if necessary.

He brushed a hand against her cheek and felt the weight settle even more firmly into his stomach. How many things was she getting into that she didn't understand? How brutal was the world to which he would drag her… she did not deserve it. It was not her lot. She deserved to run free around the world as though she owned it; to roam with her parents as they followed the horses; to be exempt from society and all its terrible obligations, and prejudices, and necessities.

He gave a sad little smile and pulled her closer to him. Rudy adjusted his seat against the wall and helped her lean back against him.

She brushed her fingers along his chest and let herself be held. "Rudy?"

His name. He loved the way she said his name. She understood it.

Briefly he considered the option of running away with her. Of fleeing out the castle gates and learning to ride a horse without a saddle on its back, or racing thestrals through the air and spending his entire days flying. How tempting. To come home to Aurora and not eggshells; to be kissed instead of switched… to evade a destiny by which he did not want to be consumed…

He buried his face in her hair to hide it as the flush crept into his cheeks. What was wrong with him? He had people that needed keeping; he had a name that needed tending… Was it all worth a few kisses? _They are more than just kisses. _

She pushed herself away from him slightly, turned her face to look into his. "Rudy, I know it's not detention that's gotten you this upset. Talk to me. We're in this together."

Did they have to be? Couldn't he still spare her? The thought of letting her go was unbearable. "Don't ask me questions yet. Just sit here with me." He pulled her back, settled her head on his shoulder. "Why does everyone have to make it such a big deal?"

"Because you're a big deal, Rudy."


	11. Rebels

**The Sinistriad**  
_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 11

* * *

Aurora was worried. She didn't know what had been said to make Rudy so tired and pensive looking, but he couldn't stay focused on anything. He lost threads of conversation; he stared out of windows when he tried to do homework; when sent to fly or to write, he wandered away but came back quickly.

Altogether troublesome, Aurora thought, but when she pressed him he would say nothing. Tell her not to worry about it, that he was just tired. Would laugh lightly and promise her he wasn't hiding anything. He remained by her side, and rarely went or did anything else. So, when Tuesday rolled around, she squeezed his hand as they entered the great hall. "I'm sitting at high table tonight, for Astronomy. You go and sit with the Slytherins."

She smiled at him, prodded him encouragingly toward his mates, and made her way to the study table. She hoped he would emerge rejuvenated. She certainly would. She loved Tuesdays.

* * *

"Hey. Lookit who it is! Decided we're worth your time, then, Reducto?"

_Reducto Rudy_. For the violence with which he could pulverize a bludger. Was that violence always a part of him, or was it just Quidditch? Did he only excel when asked to destroy? Isn't that what Transfiguration was, in a way? Breaking something up, turning it into something else?

Rudy rolled his eyes. "You're all less busy than usual if you're hanging about, looking for me around every corner." He sat, scooped up his plate before it even appeared, so that it looked like he took it out of thin air, and began piling food on it.

Silence fell around their section of the Slytherin table. He looked up, his hair falling in his face slightly, his arm still poised over the potatoes, spoon in hand. "What?"

The boys were grinning at him. It was Nott that finally spoke up. "So?"

Rudy blinked. "So what?"

Nott reached out and shoved his shoulder slightly. "So is she worth it? Good kisser?"

"Forget kissing—how's her head?"

"Did you pop her cherry? Break the seal? Where'd you do it, eh?"

They were like grinning hyenas. They expected him to tear into her like carrion, to share the meal with everyone else, to rip her to pieces and allow them all the bones for gnawing.

"She's a fair kisser," Rudy said quietly, and started to dump food on his plate again.

"God, I'd like to get my hands up that skirt—" Rudy dropped the spoon and faced Higgins, who raised his hands. "Just paying you a compliment, Lestrange! No reason to go rabid on me!"

"Consider the way you reference my property, Higgs." Rudy glared at him, nodded at his apologetic gesture, and shoveled food in his mouth. "Anybody pick up the Prophet this morning? I want the Tornados-Harpies score and nobody I've talked to knows how the match went."

"You should have listened in on the wireless, mate. Fantastic calling. Mathis knocked Sanyo out of the air—suppose you had other things to be knocking, though."

There went up a collective laugh.

"Score?" Rudy asked, cutting a piece of chicken.

Avery got up and stalked away from the table, shoving his dinner plate into nearby serving dishes. The table was shocked into silence again.

"195 to 40. The snitch was a race. Very close game," Parkinson said slowly.

Rudy hadn't yet looked at Avery, and didn't look at him as he walked away. "I'm sorry I missed it. What else is going on in the world?"

"Well, Puddlemere United plays the Canons tomorrow—"

Conversation eased back into low gear, and Rudy was grateful for it. It looked as though Avery was the only one holding a grudge, but that was to be expected; Rudy had just won a fight with him. Maybe things weren't going to blow out of proportion at all.

* * *

"I didn't think he'd keep her this long," Severus said miserably, staring at the wall of the Slytherin common room, slumped pitifully in one of the overstuffed leather chairs. "She's not good enough for him—"

"I don't see why you care, Sev," said Bellatrix, bored. She continued to scribble away at a Charms essay.

"I care because I chose her first! She's mine! My friend!" Sev had leaned forward to violently make his point, but he forced himself to settle back in his chair again. Stupid, to so carelessly give himself away like that.

"We might not even have to do anything ourselves. Rudy will get bored, or come to his senses, or be swayed by another pretty piece of ass." Bellatrix cussed herself. She needed to be careful what she said around Severus. He was a clever young wizard—rather too sly for her liking. She did not like Rudy. Not if he was the friend of mudbloods and squibspawn. What she could have seen in him. "Bloodtraitor," she muttered nastily, and her ink splattered across the parchment.

She sat up and shoved it away from her. "I wish you weren't so broody all the time, Sev. It rubs off on me. Don't you have anybody else to talk to?"

"No," he snapped. "Aurora won't talk to me anymore."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

Just then the Slytherin door slammed open, and bounced off the wall as Avery strode through it and then slammed it back, and stared menacingly at Bellatrix and Severus, the only other people in the common room during mealtime.

"Something upset you, Thomas?" Bella grinned at him, twirled her wand between her two hands.

Avery turned to Severus. "You keep your eyes off of me, mudblood."

Severus bristled and drew his wand, but Bellatrix beat him to the strike. A moment later, Avery was suspended in midair by his ankle. Severus snarled. That was HIS spell. Bellatrix slowly rose from her chair and sauntered over to Avery's shouting, swearing form, and picked up his wand.

"Thomas," she said slowly, placing one long finger against his form to stop it spinning, "What do you say you help me make Rudy wish he'd never laid eyes on Squib-spawn Sinistra?"

Avery suddenly fell still.

"I thought I might have your attention with that one," she said and traced his jawline. "I knew a well-bred wizard like yourself would be interested in the preservation of his race."

"Let me down, and we'll talk."

She left him hanging, pushed him backward slightly so he swung, and smiled at the potion. She pushed him again, and he swung harder. Bellatrix ducked away when Avery reached for her arm to steady himself.

"Bellatrix?" Avery said worriedly.

Bellatrix raised her wand, pointed it carefully at Avery's forehead—how she loved the squirming look on his face—and abruptly swept her wand up and across his ankles. Avery fell in a heap at her feet.

"Tell me, Avery," she said as she sauntered back to her chair and sat down in it, crossing her legs and leaning back, two wands stretched between her palms like strange sinew or vein, "how long has your family known Le Famille Lestrange?"

* * *

It was the weekend before Rudy could stomach the idea of facing his brother. He knew Rabastan was angry. Rabastan probably defended him against every adversary, made his threats and carried a few through, but to Rudy himself Rabastan would give no quarter. Rudy might have avoided his brother longer if he could have gone another day without a game of chess. Rudy needed the quiet, filial company of his brother, even if he was being soundly spanked by Rabastan's ace chessmen.

The Hogsmeade trip was only a few minutes off. Rabastan would be stewing in the back, thinking acidly to himself about all the noise and all the unacceptable distraction present in his study room. Rabastan was always near the lake, always alone, with his own study table. Away from the low rumble of boy's voices and the tittering laughter of girls, Rabastan was at his best. Isolation—with the exception of his brother's occasional company—was how he worked.

Rabastan was leaning over his table, bracing himself on both hands, a series of homework and spell diagrams covering the space in front of him. He looked more intense and slightly more disorganized than usual, and Rudy knew he wouldn't be in a great mood when interrupted. He was more than likely already frustrated, especially because of the low din of milling students. A good time to force him to take a break from waging a fierce battle written on the papers spread out in front of him, strategizing his next attack.

"General," Rudy mumbled, walking up.

Rabastan scowled at the nickname, but didn't avert his gaze. "You look like hell," he mumbled back, acidly.

"I could use a game of chess," Rudy tiredly admitted, angling one of the papers towards him. Rabastan swatted his hand away viciously and moved the diagram back.

"I don't want to play chess."

"Apparently," Rudy acknowledged, annoyed at his brother's attitude, despite having expected it. "What are you working on?"

"More vanishing theory, attempting to integrate some arithmancy I just learned with a set of potions that seem to apply the rule, a fair number of charms, and a plan for how I am going to write the next letter to our mother, considering that the master of the house reads every scrap of mail that comes through the front bloody door, so I can neither tattle nor behave as though I wanted to hide your recent _fetish._" Rabastan slammed a hand down on the table.

"It's just—"

"It's just a stupid snog," Rabastan mimicked meanly, "yes, I know exactly what it is, you've been so very clear."

Exactingly, Rabastan's hand snapped out to right a couple of the papers that his fist had moved when he slammed the table, each motion more gentle than the last. After a moment's frozen silence, Rabstan stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets, staring across the common room. "That fight was premature."

"He was asking for it," Rudy growled.

"That doesn't mean you oblige," Rabastan snapped. "You don't win a fight by letting your opponent force your hand."

Rudy shrugged, not in the mood to be lectured by his younger brother. "I won anyway. Doesn't matter."

"It does matter, and you didn't win. You created an enemy and humiliated him. You guaranteed the threat of revenge."

Rudy sighed. "Better to know your enemy than let him run unchecked."

"You don't know shit about your bloody enemy, but I will be damned if I let you forget this fight before it's over."

"Stop talking chess at me."

"You were the one that came here asking for a game!"

Rudy grunted. Another pause, until Rabastan furiously opened his mouth again. "You're acting like you're courting. You're possessive and protective and you act—differently."

"How?"

"You bring her to the table, you introduce her, you treat her like she's—"

"She's a Bruseau."

"You know that won't matter!" Rabastan finally raised his voice, knowing that his brother had stopped listening, and he found it infuriating. It was good advice, and Rudy wasn't paying attention, he never paid attention to good advice, he was going to get in more than the usual amount of trouble this time and there was nothing Rabastan could do about it if Rudy wouldn't listen to him.

Rudy hadn't stopping listening, but he had stepped away from the argument. Neither of them was going to win it, so there was no point in talking when tempers were high. They both needed a distraction. If Rabastan didn't want to play chess, Rudy could find another outlet. Looking for something else to focus on, Rudy surveyed the work in front of Rabastan. There were a fair few charms laid out on the desk in front of him. Rudy squinted, the pattern taking shape in his brain. All the charms on the table were amplifiers or constrictors, designed to modify the character of known spells. Some of the ones he had out on the table would be dangerous if they were blown out of proportion—others unnoticeable, if effective on the small scale. While Rabastan was given to perfection, he usually only looked these things up when he needed them. There was too much here to suggest a single purpose—Rabastan's purpose, then, was knowing how to modify spells he already knew, and there was only one reason for that.

"I know what this is," Rudy said slowly. "You're entering the tournament. Or trying to." He looked incredulously at his brother.

"I haven't decided," Rabastan said carefully.

"It doesn't matter what you decide. You know what we were told! Circe and all her blistered pigs, Rabastan!" Rudy rubbed his face with both hands, and then ran them through his hair. "Let me know how this works out for you," Rudy sarcastically spat, waving his hand over Rabastan's work.

They stared at each other.

"So I'm in rebellion too, then." Rabastan quietly admitted.

Rudy growled low and stalked away, spitting a nearly silent oath under his breath.

* * *

Aurora was in the quidditch locker room, alone, and changing into lightweight flying gear. She refused to listen to Rudy rant about the stupid tournament any more—she had unceremoniously dismissed him to Hogsmeade, refusing to accompany him even after Dumbledore released her from detention.

_The tournament._ Who knew that they were getting the Triwizard this year? Count on the Slytherins to always know these things before they were announced. Aurora would not bother entering; after all, who would support her anyway? There was already enough negative attention as it was. Chances were the students would prefer watching a Durstrange or Beauxbatons student win than a half-blood of their own kind. It was stupid, but Aurora knew many a pureblood that had entered who would be much better suited for the task than herself. She could only hope it was someone who deserved it that got picked…Rabastan, perhaps, despite his brother's worry, but most preferably a Ravenclaw.

She smirked to herself and tucked her hair behind her ear, zipped up her sweater, and walked out onto the pitch with her old, but faithful broom. Quidditch was over, or would be soon, anyway, but today the pitch was open. Undoubtedly they'd close it soon, but Aurora would fly while she could. It was a beautiful day out—not to hot, not too cold, and only a slight breeze to maneuver the broom around. Some students were even down by the lake; others were serving detention like she had been earlier. Dumbledore was easier on her detentions lately. It was apparent he thought three weeks a bit much, and he more or less let her do her homework while she was there. She thought about Rudy, brooding somewhere in the distance, and she felt a little guilty for the way she had snapped at him this morning. Still, her own surge of temper seemed to indicate that she need some time alone herself.

_Let him spend some time with his friends. _Aurora had feared that dating would put a notch in his social life, but as the days had gone by the stares and gossip had died down, and soon it was just a common occurrence for Rudy and Aurora to be together. It didn't settle the bad feelings, however, or snide comments made at Aurora when no one else was in the hall. The relationship was still resented, just not as shocking.

She slung a leg over the broom, hoisted the practice quaffle under her arm, and kicked off. Her lungs expanded to accept a deep breath of fresh air and her hair flew behind her like a golden river. Tossing the quaffle ahead of her, she whizzed ahead to catch it, and continued in this fashion for many minutes. The quaffle was tossed up, down, across, and through the hoops as she played around the pitch with herself. Eventually, the sun rose higher and it got hotter, and the sweater was shed for a simple black and white stripped tank that contrasted the white shorts she was wearing. She felt free up in the air like this, with no one to bother her, no homework to stress her…and most importantly, no purebloods to distract her. It was heavenly and she was sweating and tired when she finally finished an hour later. Swooping low to scoop up the quaffle that had soared through another hoop, she flew back to the locker rooms, dismounted and entered them quietly.

When she got to her locker, she froze. Her bag was missing…but she KNEW she had brought it with her. It had her school robes in it, her books, her wand and her doll. Where had she put it? Was she in the wrong changing room?

"Looking for something?"

The voice from behind froze Aurora momentarily in her search. She knew it all too well and suddenly she _longed_ for her wand.

She spun around and glared daggers at Avery, who held her bag in one hand and her wand in his other. He was leaning against the entry as Rudy had done the one time he had walked in on her…how long ago that seemed. It was the start of something wonderful, but Aurora knew this would not be the case with Avery. She stood very still, debating the best course of action. She couldn't just leave without her stuff , but she certainly was in no position to get it back either.

"Give me my stuff, Avery."

It was pointless to demand it, because he glanced between her and the bag, and shrugged.

"What will you give me for it?" He taunted. "I've heard the muggle black market is a prime place to sell squibspawn belongings….it's about the only place you can sell shit and actually get money for it."

"Give. Me. My. Stuff. NOW."

He chuckled darkly. "Say please."

"_Now_."

"Say _please_."

"NOW you mother—"

A sweep of his wand and Aurora hit her head against the lockers before she had a chance to brace or finish her sentence. She yelped and cringed under the impact—she had expected an insult, not a spell to launch her backwards into the locker. As she recovered from the hit, he sauntered forward a few steps and started digging in her bag as if nothing had happened. Aurora clutched her head and staggered forward, her jaw clenched and her head throbbing.

"Aw, what's this?" Avery asked, pulling the doll from its safe spot on top of Aurora's books. Aurora threw herself forward to grab it from his grasp, but he dug the tip of the wand into her arm and threw her back again. This time the hit was not a surprise, but it hurt twice as much as the first. He smiled sinisterly and held the doll by its arm in front of her. "So this means something to you does it? I didn't think a squibspawn had anything worth living for…shame you proved me wrong…"

He dropped her bag, took her wand in his other hand and suddenly a flame appeared from the tip of it and he held it next to the doll, sneering so cruelly at her she felt herself tremble.

"NO ONE, especially some daughter of manure, proves me wrong."

"NO!"

Aurora's cries fell on deaf ears and the flame connected with the foot of the doll. Aurora ran at him again, throwing herself at him in a full body tackle, and she wrestled for her doll, trying to smother the flames. She felt his fist, his kicks, his entire body throwing her off of him and onto the floor, but she had managed to wrench the doll from his grasp with her sharp nails. Aurora hugged it to herself, ridding of the flame before it burned too much of the doll. Avery immediately threw himself to his feet and dealt a hard kick to her side, watching as she convulsed on the floor with a scream. Something had cracked, something had cracked—was it Lisa's beautiful porcelain face? This wasn't actually happening! He was using her wand!

"SQUIBSHIT! SPAWN OF DEVIL SPERM! FILTHY LITTLE MUDBLOOD!" He roared over her curled up body. "How DARE you attack me!"

After the third kick, Aurora couldn't even feel it anymore. She just kept the doll securely held to her chest and cried in the fetal position, helpless to do anything without her wand. She saw it pointed in her face a second later, and once again she was hoisted off the ground and slammed into the lockers. She whimpered and slumped against them, but Avery was up in her face now, his own face pulsing with his hate and anger.

One of his hands was clutched around her neck, the other held her wand at her forehead. He seethed just a few inches from her nose, his blood-shot eyes boring into hers and his breath coming out in short, quick spurts. He was pulsing with his resentment; as though she had poisoned him when she had tried to take back her doll.

"DID YOU HEAR ME?" Avery said tightly between his teeth. He was nearly spitting in her face and his face had taken a whole new shade of red, the veins threatening to burst. "You are not worthy to walk the same ground I walk on, and it should be a sin for you to even TOUCH the taintlessness that is a pureblood. You hear? I know you heard me!" He slammed her head into the locker again.

Aurora didn't respond, just stared back at him, disabled. His squeezing hand around her throat made her hardly able to think of anything else.

He studied her, letting his eyes trail down from her face and over the rest of her body mercilessly. She felt completely naked before him, exposed and defenseless. An evil smirk caressed his face as he looked back up at her.

"What does Rudy see in a mistake like you?" She could breathe again. Aurora felt his hand slide lower from her neck as he said this, and she instinctively slapped his wrist away with the hand not clutching her doll. He responded by pressing himself fully against her and sliding his tongue up along her neck and to her ear.

Aurora swore out-loud and shoved hard against him, squirming to get away, but he was putting all his weight into her.

"So this is what you're good for." He whispered against her ear. The more she struggled, the more he licked. "This is what Rudy wants you for. You were a fuck mistake, and you're only good for an easy fuck…" He bit against her jaw and looked at her menacingly. "Though I have seen muggle fucks more worth my while."

Aurora continued to struggle, trying to get just one knee up to nail him where he would feel it. But Avery was not stupid. He had her pinned firmly in place and she was still swimming from the other injuries.

Eventually she found her voice enough to say, "Fuck him yourself if you're so concerned with getting laid. I don't actually think he'd comply…I may be a nice piece of half-blood ass, but that's more than can be said for you."

This time, he shoved her himself more forcibly against the hard exterior of the lockers.

"Break up with Rudy, or I will finish what he started…" Avery's teeth grazed Aurora's lips and she spat up in his face.

A knee connected with her gut and she doubled over and fell to the ground, crying out hoarsely, hopelessly, for help and watching Avery's feet stalk away.

"I mean it squibshit," He called as he left her alone in the locker room. "Do it, or Rudy's starshine will not shine for much longer."

* * *

Aurora shook. Her entire body ached—shaking ached—breathing was especially painful—

She closed her eyes, tried to think. She had to do something—something—she forced her eyes open again suddenly, gasping and crying out, flinching away. She could feel his hands on her body, his tongue on her skin, sense another blow coming—

Nothing and nobody. Just the lockers. How it hurt to breath this hard.

She focused on the leg of a single bench, her body taking over for her. She had to calm down. Stop breathing so hard, Aurora, you'll pass out, and someone will find you here like this. He'll come back and get Lisa. Calm down, you have to go up to Ravenclaw tower and put Lisa away, away where no one will find her—

Feet raced into the room, and Aurora drug her hands over her face. Nobody could look at her—not right now—nobody should be seeing her like this—

"Aurora? Aurora what happened—I heard someone call for help—" Michael Chang bent down at touched her shoulder.

Aurora shrank away from him, sobbing now. _It hurts—don't touch me—_Sobbed and pressed her palms against her eyes. _Nightmare, wake up, dreaming, not real—_

Chang was in the way of the leg of the bench. Aurora couldn't see it anymore. She felt deprived of her anchor, and Chang was there—was he going to hurt her too? Was he angry with her for what she was, what she was doing with Rudy? Her breathing sped up again. How many more people would lash out at her like this? Avery had been the first—the girls, the girls with the doll, not Lisa—Lisa had to be protected—someone had to look out for her, and if Aurora was hurt like this, Lisa was alone—She clutched the doll more tightly to her and sobbed. Lisa was going to die because Aurora was hurt, because Avery had hurt her—she had failed her best friend in the entire world… Aurora gasped and shook and was flooded with terror as the blackness crowded around the edges of her vision, an attack from behind, and passed out.

* * *

Chang sprinted out of the locker room and down the corridor. The sight of Aurora clutching that doll and sobbing had unnerved him. Aurora didn't seem like someone to cry. Not huddled up on the floor of the changing room with her doll. There had been blood in her hair.

He combed his hair back with his fingers. It always fell out of the braid more quickly when he was rushed.

He ran up through the fields, shouting, but there was nobody—nobody heard him—he ran up into the entrance hall and bellowed for help. A few heads poked out from around corners, but no teachers, and certainly not the school nurse—

He ran up the spiraling staircase, shouting as he went. Where WERE they all—

"OY! STUDENT INJURED! NEED HELP!"

"Michael? What's happened? What's going on?"

Chang shook his head. "I need a professor—or Nurse Pitka—HELP!"

The entire school, it seemed, had suddenly thronged to the staircase. It was getting impossible to ascend. "I NEED A PROFESSOR! SOMEBODY FIND A PROFESSOR!"

* * *

_We gratefully respond to our reviewers on our profile page. _


	12. Aftermath

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 12

* * *

Bellatrix was grinning to herself, turning her wand over and over in her hands, watching the door to the empty classroom she was sitting in. Ambient light covered the unused desks, as neither she nor Snape could have been bothered to light candles. Cloud shadows played off the walls, looming and disappearing again.

Bella giggled again. "The game is afoot," she whispered to herself, "the game is afoot… afoot afoot afoot…"

"Shut _up_," snapped Snape, slamming his book shut. "I can't listen to your inanities for another—"

A door opened, and Thomas Avery calmly shut it behind him. Bellatrix stood up, her wand held tightly in her hand at her side. "So?"

Avery raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Done."

Bellatrix flushed with a dark pride. "Us too."

Avery nodded, and let a grin cross his features as he turned and walked back out the door.

Aurora woke, still clutching her doll to her. It was the first thing she knew as her eyes flew open. Where had he taken her? What had he done? At least Lisa was safe…

She looked around and saw the interior of the hospital wing, bright sunlight streaming in through the windows and white everywhere. White curtains, white sheets, white floors. White liquid in a glass on her bedside table. She looked at it curiously. She turned her head to the other side—a neat row of flat, perfectly made beds. It appeared that she was alone, unless anyone was in the few beds that sat almost directly across from her. That was comforting.

Aurora hugged the doll, and that sole movement of her arms was pain enough to discourage her from sitting up. Lisa was safe. She had a dirty foot, but Aurora could clean that. It seemed so absurd to be so worried about the doll. Aurora held Lisa up to her face and inspected it closely. There was nothing new, nothing unusual...

She turned it over and over in her hands. Someone had threatened the doll. What had she been so panicked about? The doll was obviously fine…

A door opened, and every muscle in her body tensed. _Not dirt._ She suddenly remembered what had happened to land her here in the hospital wing, and she panicked, not knowing who had come in to find her incapacitated. He was there, in the shadows, in her blind spot, watching—she wasn't wearing enough clothing! She suddenly felt extremely naked in the bed, underneath the thin sheet. She had to sit up, to cover up, to get away from him…

Aurora pushed feebly against the bed as Nurse Pitka loomed over her. The nurse smiled kindly with her round, browned wrinkled face. "Ah, at long last. Relax, dearest. You have some nasty bruises! I fixed you up just right, but you must rest, and be very, very careful, okay?"

Aurora nodded, near tears. She needed to protect her back. She needed to see, for Circe's sake, not be stuck here in a bed. It was unthinkable, and she was still only for a moment before she began trying to sit up again.

Frowning, Nurse Pitka hefted Aurora up all in one instant. "Better?"

Aurora glanced around the hospital wing and nodded despite the ache in the back of her skull. Anything was better than lying down. She blinked and jumped at a sudden flash of movement, only to find that Nurse Pitka had shoved a glass of thick potion towards her. She shouldn't be this afraid of small noises and friendly gestures—her own fear frightened her, and threatened to spiral again into panic.

Pitka laid a comforting hand on her knee. "Drink, and then maybe I will let the boy in to see you…" She smiled as Aurora's head swam with terror. "He has been so worried, but he will be happy to see you awake."

"Aurora," came Rudy's patient voice through a curtain somewhere, "Drink your potion, okay? I have a present for you."

Aurora blanched and stared down at the potion. _That boy_. "What does he know?" She whispered.

The nurse didn't know how to answer such an odd question. "I beg your pardon?"

Aurora tried again. "What—what happened?"

Rudy supplied the answer, still from a distance. "You crashed your broom, starshine—"

Aurora flinched. He shouldn't call her that. That word was dangerous. What if somebody heard him?

"Aurora, come on." Rudy was impatient to see her. Nobody knew how badly she'd have had to crash to destroy her broom like that, but she'd dragged the splintered thing all the way to the lockers, and collapsed there. Chang had apparently found her calling for help. She'd been dazed, unable to breathe, clutching her doll—

They'd let Rudy in to see her once. He'd sat there for hours, all the time they would let him, and then they'd thrown him out. They said they'd let him back in once a day unless she woke up, which she apparently had. He could hear her talking, and his heart soared. She was all right! She could talk! The rumor was that she'd been hurt pretty badly; awful blows to the head. She seemed to be recovering well, or so they told him. Nothing too badly damaged. _Lucky for a crash like that, _they said.

"What you were doing streaking towards the ground like a banshee, I don't know, kid," Rudy called. "You really hurt yourself, you know. You should drink your potion.

Aurora sighed to herself, and jerked her hand to her side. "Crashed my broomstick."

Nurse Pitka frowned. "You do not have a memory of it?"

"No," Aurora breathed and clutched Lisa tighter. Could it possibly be that nobody knew? That she had dreamed it up? That none of it had been real?

Nurse Pitka pulled Aurora's eyes open wide and gazed into them. "It is common with injuries to the head, but…"

Rudy pulled open the curtain and came through, toting a stack of packages, and his backpack. "Come on, starshine. Drink your potion." He smiled at her. The Nurse picked up the flask of potion and held it to Aurora's lips.

"Tastes like buttercream," she said.

It was like milk, Aurora decided. She had no idea what it might be, but she suddenly felt a little bit stronger. Her heart rate went down, slightly, and the pain in her head eased. She smiled tentatively at Rudy, and then looked away from him, upset. How could she look at him again? How could he be looking at her? The thought fragmented. Her broomstick had shattered?

"My broomstick," she sighed, suddenly feeling dizzy and queasy again.

"Hey," Rudy said, and was suddenly perched on the edge of her bed. "It's no crime to crash. I've ploughed my fair share of times. You've just got to get back in the air again. It'll be okay. I can get you a new broomstick! I already know which one, I'll buy it for you next weekend. I saw it in Hogsmeade and it made me think of you. It's the new Comet 150." He held his hands up in the air to try and show off the shape of the tail. "The twigs don't come to a perfect point; it's supposed to make it faster. I'll go out with you a few times until you get the hang of it, if you'd like. You can't give up Quidditch because of a silly crash."

"Right," Aurora said, hesitating. "Quidditch…" She lay back on her pillows with the Nurse's help.

"I got you some other things, yesterday. Before I knew you'd crashed. A new bag, and some sugar quills—you're always chewing on yours—and—"

"Hogsmeade," Aurora said, latching onto the subject. "What did you do in Hogsmeade?"

Rudy shrugged. "Mostly I went shopping for you, and drank Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, as usual." Aurora's brow furrowed, and Rudy immediately deflated. How was it that she always knew when he held back? Could he not even get away with white lies in front of her? "I bought you a new backpack," he said. "Look. It has the same clasps as your other one, but this one is blue. Is it okay?" He laid it on top of the broomstick.

Aurora looked at him, so determinedly optimistic. Something was wrong. Something was out of place, somehow. Rudy didn't wear smiles stuck on so clearly. "Rudy," she said, pushing the backpack away from her. "What are people saying?"

Rudy's eyes fell and he fidgeted with his packages. He didn't want to think about the things that Bellatrix had said, or about how people were talking, even in Hogsmeade. But the voices in his head were pressing and they sang about how soon they were going to hang them both, like nasty little muggles, for being so vulgar. Rudy rubbed his neck.

"You know. Some ugly comments, but no fighting and no detention."

"What are they saying about the—the crash?"

He paused. "They think somebody ploughed you, but nobody knows who. Do you remember?"

Aurora paused. "No," she said. Her eyes wandered, and then drooped. "I like the bag." She attempted a smile but it faltered and with a resigned sigh her eyes fluttered shut. It seemed like she slept, though her furrowed brow would suggest even Aurora herself questioned it as rest.

* * *

Aurora endured the few visitors as they came and went that day. Cissy stopped by to bring her flowers, Severus lingered until Rudy came back and then he scurried away like a scared dog with his tail between his legs, though Rudy hadn't so much as looked at him. Aurora was slightly disappointed to see Severus leave so quickly, but she was happier still to see Rudy. She didn't rest easily unless he was around. She had it set in her mind—Rudy around meant she was safe. She thought about something other than Avery's attack, the feel of his tongue, the words he'd spat at her. The minute Rudy left, she felt completely vulnerable and questioned everything all over again. Avery was lurking everywhere; in every corner, behind every bed, looking in every window…and she felt guilty. If she was caught with Rudy, she would be at the mercy of her deserved foolishness. And what about Rudy? Would Avery actually hurt him? Surely not; Rudy was the leader of the pack. It was Aurora who was the target now. And if she didn't listen to Avery's warning, she had no doubt he or one of his buddies would get a hold of her again.

Logically, it was in her best interest to give up this ridiculous, impossible charade. To end it with Rudy right here and now before it got any worse…but she couldn't! Without him, she had nothing; no protection, no safeguards. Was that selfish? Could Rudy ever be more to her than a buffer against Avery? It was so frustrating. Why couldn't she just send him on his way and save him, even if she couldn't save her herself?

Aurora blinked. Rudy was there, sitting next to her, talking. She looked at him as he recounted a tale from his detention, but she couldn't focus on his voice. The voices arguing in her head were too loud and all she could do was raise a shaky hand to her forehead. Her head was swimming with confusion and pain, and the more she wished it to disappear, the more it hurt. Rudy noticed and leaned forward quickly.

"Aurora, are you alright?"

_Tell him to leave! _Aurora winced as the voices multiplied_. Tell him it's over, that he cannot see you anymore. Good-bye Rodolphus! And take your friends and their psycho problems with you!_

"Aurora?"

She looked at him, her eyes clouded over and dark.

_I can't leave that, look at him! He's here for me, to save me, to be by my side…sending him away won't save me. Avery will still come back…_

_So drag him down with you. Tear apart his perfect life._

_I can't-_

_He's still a pureblood, they're all purebloods. They could be plotting…_

"ARGH! SHUT UP!" Aurora yelled suddenly, clasping her head with both hands and closing her eyes tightly.

Nurse Pitka came running in when she heard the commotion and Rudy recoiled, shock written all over his face.

"What did you do?" Pitka scolded, gently taking hold of Aurora's wrists and trying to pry them from her skull. "Child, please let go. You should not be touching the area around the wounds; you may hurt yourself more…"

Rudy stared at Aurora, a cool fury flooding every part of him. Someone had done serious damage to her, and he was going to repay them tenfold. There was no way she had _only_ crashed her broomstick. Her attitude was far too uncomfortably familiar.

Aurora was still mumbling under her breath, in short quick gasps, rocking against her pillow and clutching her head with such force Pitka simply couldn't stop her.

"Aurora, are you okay? Aurora look at me…" Rudy begged quietly, resting a gentle hand on her knee. She inhaled sharply and held it, latching onto his hand. He nodded silently and slowly brought his hands up to her face, forcing her to remain still and look at him. "Breathe, starshine," he said gently. "I'm here."

Aurora finally exhaled her and swayed dangerously. "I'm right here," Rudy continued to say, balancing her as she tried to regain her composure. "Right here, Aurora."

Aurora's hyperventilating fit turned into exhausted sobs, and Rudy leaned forward to rest her head against his shoulder. After a few minutes of whispering soft words in her ear, Rudy pried her hands loose and laid her back onto her pillows. She clutched at one of his hands again, and he let her latch onto it, running one other large hand through her hair.

Rudy looked over his shoulder at the Nurse. She held up a bottle of blue potion and a handkerchief. Dabbing a little bit on the end, Pitka handed it to him. "Dab her forehead with it."

As soon as the kerchief got close to her face, Aurora fell back against the pillows, and Pitka nudged Rudy out of the way.

"I think it's time you go. It's late and she needs sleep." Pitka lifted one of Aurora's eyelids, pressed her hands to her neck, and shook her head. "Please get the Headmaster on your way, and send him here."

Rudy nodded numbly and stood, letting his hand rest on Aurora's knee a moment longer, cold fury building in his chest again. This was intolerable. Whoever had done this to her would pay. Harshly. He thought he had taken care of this—he thought he'd crushed the opposition when he'd buried his fist so willingly in Avery's face—

The minute his hand left her knee, Aurora sprang up and grabbed his wrist. Her eyes were large and pleading. He would not be stopped this time. Aurora needed to sleep, and Rudy needed—justice.

"Aurora, Pitka says you need sleep…I'll be back in the morning." He said, his voice firm despite the guilt she forced into his chest.

"Rudy, no please…no, don't go…" Aurora sounded almost frantic and she clung tighter. But her prevailing weakness was no match for Rudy when he pulled himself away, even if reluctantly.

"He has to go. You need to rest and heal," Pitka confirmed, gently pushing Aurora back into her pillows.

"Rudy, please…" Aurora's voice was hoarse and her eyes were threatening with tears once again. At that moment he might have caved, but Pitka shook her head resolutely.

"Good night starshine. I promise I'll be back soon."

He attempted to smile at her, but those eyes…damn those eyes. He couldn't bear it and turned away quickly, running down from the healing wing to fetch Dumbledore.

Aurora squinted, feeling dizzy. Something didn't make sense. Rudy was supposed to be here. It was the only way things were supposed to be—_why was he leaving?_—she squeezed her eyes shut. Avery would come the moment he left her. She would be alone for the night. She had nothing up here; no protection, no wand to fight, no clothes to layer up with…just this loose nightgown, a sheet, and tons of ways in and out of the room. She needed Rudy here, he needed to talk about his day, tell her about the new broom, hold her and kiss her and be not let Avery in the door, and he was LEAVING. Was everyone so stupid? Did no one understand?

_Of course they don't. They don't know…_

Aurora turned to Pitka to explain, but the nurse pressed the handkerchief to her face again. Aurora forgot what she was going to say, noted the feel of her eyes rolling back in her head with a muted surprise, and then dropped into a willing sleep.

* * *

Rudy knocked at the headmaster's door. When Dumbledore asked him to enter, he related the message briefly. Dumbledore nodded with a thoughtful expression and Rudy turned to leave. He had to get somewhere quiet; somewhere where he could get her pleads out of his head so he could strategize and make the next move…

"Rodolphus," Dumbledore called, stopping Rudy in his tracks. "How is she? Has she told you what happened?"

Rudy shrugged. "She crashed her broom. She woke up at least, but I think Pitka just knocked her out again."

"Curious." Dumbledore said simply, running a hand over his chin. "Thank you Rodolphus. Go get some sleep."

Rudy hesitated on the stairs again.

"Professor?" Rudy called after him, not entirely sure what he was going to say, but needing to say something. "…will she be okay?"

Dumbledore paused and looked at him sternly. Then he nodded slightly, and gave a light smile. "I believe so. Will you be okay, Mister Lestrange?"

"I'm fine!" Rudy snapped automatically. Shaking his head at his own temper, Rudy turned away from Dumbledore and began the walk back to his common room. There were probably a handful of people with whom he needed to deal, and he was going to start with Thomas Avery.

* * *

Every thudding step towards the dungeons increased Rudy's heated rage. He wrapped his fist around his wand in his pocket, sweeping through the white noise of the chatting portraits and friendly calls from other students. It was warming in his hand, eager to do magic, sensing his mood. Only Rudy's careful, conscious control kept the end of it from sparking with every footfall.

He stalked to the common room door, elbowing his way through a group of second years. Picking one of them up by the neck of his robes, Rudy moved the child out of his way and strode into the common room, his wand barely leashed in his hand.

Standing in the candlelight, Rudy looked fearsome. He filled the outline of the darkened doorframe, his jaw set and his face red, his eyes hard and lethal. Quiet fell quickly, the common room drawing a collective breath in anticipation of his purpose.

"Where's Tommy Avery?" Rudy barked, and glared around the common room at any and every man who dared deny him the information. The answering silence infuriated him. His wand sprayed a stream of white sparks as Rudy inhaled. "WHERE IS HE?"

Gregory Nott slowly stood up. "He's not here." Rudy's wand sprayed another stream of sparks and just as suddenly stopped. "Which is where you're likely to end up if you can keep a lid on—"

Rudy snapped his wand towards Nott, slamming the boy back against the wall, past the table and chairs he'd just been sitting at.

"CIRCE'S SAKE, LESTRANGE, CALM YOUR ASS DOWN!" Nott shouted back at him, shoving the fallen chair out of his way. "What the hell do you want him for anyway?"

"Aurora—"

"He can't have done shit to Aurora, he's been in Hogsmeade all day, and now he's gone again. You know his aunt teaches at Beauxbaton—they're having a family dinner, now that everyone's in town."

"THEN I WANT TO KNOW WHO DID! WHO TOUCHED HER?"

Nott shook his head. "Nobody attacked her, you sodding prat. She crashed her broom. End of story."

"WRONG!" Rudy bellowed.

"SHUT UP!" Nott shouted back. "Circe, you sound like an Erumpet. I'm going to need at least two butterbeers before I get the ringing out of my head. Come here and have one yourself."

Rudy seethed. "I don't want—"

"You do too, because you want to hear what I have to say, and I'm not going to shout it across the common room. Sit down, shut your bloody mouth, and have a drink."

Rudy ground his teeth, but slowly crossed the common room and sat down, glaring daggers at Nott.

"You are a piece of seriously messed up work," Nott responded, glancing around as the common room went back to its usual business.

"Someone attacked her, and I want—"

Greg shook his head. "No, Rudy. Nobody attacked her. She wrecked her broomstick."

Rudy snarled. "I know it happened—"

"THIS IS HOGWARTS," Nott firmly deadpanned. "That doesn't happen here."

"By all the shit bred of Circe's bastard pigs—"

"Stop projecting," Nott spat. "Just because you think you recognize some frightened girl's scowl doesn't give you truth or evidence, or anything. She ploughed. She's embarrassed. Finite Incantatem."

"It's not just a accident—"

"Yes it is," Nott insisted. "And if you do something stupid—like attack Tommy Avery again—you're going to get expelled. Pitka will let you in to see her again tomorrow. I know you're obsessed with Aurora, but seriously—you can deal with one night away. Besides, you have to place a bet. The schools are arriving at the end of the week, and we're taking bets on how long it takes Evan to end up a Beauxbaton skirt. Come on, I'm guessing it's day three."

* * *

Sleep did not come easy for Rudy, not when thoughts of Dumbledore's question and voices that sounded like Aurora screaming kept waking him up. At one point, he could even have sworn someone was shaking his shoulder, calling his name…he opened his eyes to realize that someone was indeed attempting to wake him. Headmaster Dumbledore was urging him quietly awake so as not to disturb the other students. Rudy sat up immediately.

"Would you please come with me, Mr. Lestrange?" Dumbledore said gently, but his tone suggested it was more of a command than a question. "Grab your robe."

Rudy didn't ask questions, now wide-awake, and threw his robe over his shoulders as he followed Dumbledore silently out of the Slytherin common room in his bare feet. His mind raced; was he in trouble? Had something happened back home? Was Aurora in worse shape than he had thought?

Sure enough, when they turned down the hall that led to the nurses' wing, Rudy's heart started racing with worry.

"Professor?" Rudy asked in a panicky tone.

"We need your help, Rudy." Dumbledore said quietly. "Aurora is in a rather interesting predicament and we thought you may be able to help us."

"Predicament, sir?"

Dumbledore did not answer, but lead him into the wing. At the far end he could see Aurora sitting up in bed, hunched over her knees, her arms wrapped around them and pulling them to her chest as she cried furiously. Pitka was sitting next to her, trying to quiet her and by the looks of it, get her to take a sleeping draught. Aurora shook her head and continued to sob into her knees, her whole body trembling and dangerously weak with fear. The minute she heard Rudy and Dumbledore enter, however, her head snapped towards them and relief flooded her. She was safe.

Rudy jogged to her bedside ahead of Dumbledore and took Aurora into his arms immediately; somehow sensing that she needed him more than any potion or cure. He didn't know what it was, but he needed to hold her. Some instinctual part of him had kicked in and he wanted both professors to back off and leave. She didn't want them there—she wanted him. And Rudy was perfectly capable of taking care of her himself.

Pitka stood and started muttering to Dumbledore, who watched the two students carefully. Aurora clung to Rudy, crying into his shoulder and muttering "I'm sorry Rudy," and "You shouldn't be here," which was contradicted by, "You can't go. You can't."

He ran a careful few fingers through her hair and rested his head against hers, talking quietly into her ear, giving her reassuring words and letting her cry. Eventually, when he was sure Pitka wasn't listening, he asked her, "Aurora…what's wrong? What happened to you?"

Aurora whimpered and held onto him tighter, but didn't answer. Something was amiss. Rudy just knew it. He could feel it in his gut, whatever Greg had tried to say about it. He strained his hearing over her sobs to catch anything that Pitka and Dumbledore were saying.

"And she won't drink it?" Dumbledore was asking. Pitka shook her head stiffly.

"She's been awake all night, yelling and crying. Keeps saying the most peculiar things too."

"Indeed?" Dumbledore pressed.

Pitka's brow was furrowed. "Kept saying _he_ would come. She yelled something like 'get off me' and then again said 'please help me.' I thought she was being attacked, but when I came in, she was just sitting awake, crying like this."

Rudy frowned and turned to look at the two adults. Dumbledore looked just as troubled.

"Those are not common side-effects of a crash…?" Dumbledore asked the nurse quietly. Rudy knew the answer as well as he did.

The professor caught Rudy's gaze as did Pitka and they were silent.

"I'll be staying," Rudy commanded quietly. At Pitka's sharp look, he curbed the tone of his voice. "If that's all right, Headmaster. She may sleep if I'm here." And it was true. Already Aurora was calming down and relaxing against him.

Pitka opened her mouth to protest vehemently, but Dumbledore raised a single hand to silence her.

"I think that would be a good idea, Rudy. Get her to take the sleeping draught if you can. It will still the dreams."

Despite Dumbledore's calm, Pitka did not look pleased at the arrangement. After a moment's worth of glaring protest, she turned back to Rudy and glanced forcibly between him and the chair, as if willing him to get off the bed and sit in the chair if he was going to stay. Dumbledore noticed the tense stare and turned to the nurse, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Please get some sleep, Madame Pitka. You deserve some good rest before tomorrow. I trust Rudy will be responsible and alert you if anything happens. Right, Rudy?"

Rudy nodded assuredly and even though Pitka did not look convinced, she nodded and removed herself from the room. Dumbledore studied Aurora quietly as Rudy made himself more comfortable against the headboard so he himself could get some sleep. He knew Aurora wouldn't let go of him. He could see the confusion and worry in his professor's eyes, but Dumbledore said nothing more about it.

"Get some sleep Rudy. I am sorry to have awakened you."

"It's all right," Rudy said truthfully. He didn't mind it, because he hadn't been sleeping well anyway.

Dumbledore surveyed them, and eyed the door at the other end of the wing as Nurse Pitka grudgingly shut it. "Good night then." Dumbledore said as he left the room in a sweep of his robe. Rudy looked down at Aurora who was already half asleep against him, and glanced over at the draught. He felt bad about waking her up again to take it, but she did and without quarrel. After that, he did not hear a peep out of her and she was comfortably curled up against his side. He was determined now. Something more had happened in the locker room or on the pitch. And he was going to find out what exactly it was.

* * *

Aurora woke to the sound of a sharp _"Crack!"_ She jumped, and stilled. Rudy. Rudy was still there, wrapped around her, protecting her from every side.

He pushed his large, gentle hand over her forehead, moving her hair out of her face. "Morning, starshine." He kissed her forehead, pulled the sleeve of his robe back to look at his watch. "It is still morning." He smiled at her.

The tiny House Elf pushed a neatly folded set of clothes and robes up onto the bed and straightened her Hogwarts dishtowel. "That is being everything Professor Dumbledore wished," she squeaked, "but is you needing nothing else?"

Rudy's low, reassuring voice sounded in her ear and chest. "Professor Dumbledore thought that you might feel better in some real clothing."

The elf spoke up again, eager to please. "All your favorites, Miss—they smell like you like them—"

Aurora fingered the robes lightly, pressed her hand over the Ravenclaw Seal. _Ravenclaws and Slytherins,_ she thought. How different were their houses.

"I'm sure we could get you something to eat, if you're hungry… what would you like, hmm?" Rudy's hand was still in her hair, gently combing through it.

"Cookies," she thought automatically. "And my sweatpants." The house elf was gone with another sharp crack.

Aurora jumped again, and Rudy mentally fought down his rage at her fear. "Go on and change, starshine. I'll be right here when you get back," Rudy said, patting her leg gently. "I'm not going anywhere. You can go and change behind a curtain, or in the lavatory, or whatever you like."

Aurora clutched at his shirt. "I can't," she said, her voice cracking and her hands starting to tremble, "don't ask me to go—"

Rudy frowned down at Aurora. "Hey. What is with you? You can go and change your clothes. Come on, I'll walk you over to the bathroom, and when you get out, there will be cookies and hot milk." _And you can tell me what really happened the other day_, he thought, _so I can make sure it never happens again._

Aurora shakily stood up, and looked around the room, reached down and clutched at her clothes with one hand, and held onto Rudy's arm with a vice grip. Rudy gently led her in her stocking feet over to the bathroom door, made sure there were candles lit, and pushed her gently inside.

Aurora didn't let go of his hand.

"You _have_ to let me go. You won't be able to get your sweatpants on with one hand." He smirked at her, but she only gave a nervous twitch, her eyes flicking around the bathroom, lingering on shadows and windows.

Cold settled into Rudy's stomach again. "We'll turn it into a game, shall we? Let's see how fast you can get changed. I'll time you on my watch. On your mark, get set…"

"Will you check the bathroom?" Aurora asked suddenly.

Rudy frowned at her. "Why? Are you afraid somebody is in here?"

"Just, please, Rudy… would you?"

"Okay." Rudy stepped into the bathroom, and pushed open the doors of all the stalls. "There. Nobody in here except us. You wait for the count, and I'll time you. You ready this time?"

Aurora nodded slowly. She could play a game. Like Quidditch. Rudy was right here, after all.

Rudy let her ease the door shut, but noticed that she left it cracked. _Odd for someone so modest_. Surely she didn't want him looking. "GO!" Rudy shouted, and he could hear her hurriedly pulling on new clothes.

Rudy shook his head to himself as soon as the door closed. Greg had _no idea_ what he was talking about. More than anything else, she was acting like Rabastan, frightened little Robby afraid of waking up the house when he had to use the bathroom…

Something had happened. Somebody had done something to her. He bristled with anger—his wand shot sparks into his pocket where it was stowed and he yelped, patting down the burning material.

Aurora, one arm in a shirt, threw the door open. "What happened? What is it?"

"Nothing, kid—I just lit my own shorts on fire…" He rolled his eyes good naturedly at himself, pulled out his wand and repaired his pants. "See? No big deal."

The lost look that crossed Aurora's face pained him. Rudy kindly walked over and pulled her shirt down over her other arm, and picked her robes up off the floor and settled them around her shoulders. He checked his watch. "Not bad," he said. Then he grinned at her mischievously and swept her up off of her feet and into his arms, and laid her gently back down in the hospital bed.

She smiled at him, tentatively, barely daring to believe she might have enjoyed his playfulness or his touch.

"Aurora," he said slowly, taking one of her hands in his. "What happened, Saturday?"

Rudy watched with a failing heart as she shrank back into her pillows and looked away from him. "I crashed my broomstick…"

"Who rammed you into the ground, then?"

Aurora shook her head, reached out to the table and grabbed her doll.

"Where is your wand?"

Aurora cringed away from him, hugging the doll tightly to her chest.

The house elf reappeared with a crack that made everyone jump, pushing a cart of cookies and tea and milk.

Rudy turned and glared at the elf, who quickly disapparated again. When he turned back to Aurora, she was looking at him again; so afraid, so caught in the headlights. How could he press her like this? How could he ask her to relive something that made so much pain and fear arise in her eyes?

He turned to the cookie tray. "It looks like we've got oatmeal, or chocolate chip," he said, holding up one of each.

* * *

Thomas Avery looked across the common room at himself, smirked, and nodded. His twin counterpart stood and clapped him on the back. "See, I told you it was an unmistakable transformation. Where's the antidote, Sev?"

Bellatrix stuck out her hand for the potion that Severus dutifully passed over, and downed the purple liquid in one. It tasted a little like Pepperup, but sweeter. She'd had worse potions shoved down her throat.

"Nobody thought you were anyone except your broody young self in Hogsmeade. Sev's brilliant. I don't know why you doubted him. And, thanks to Sev's clever little potion tinkering, people saw me in the town around the same time. We each have an alibi. There's no way either of us could have attacked her. Our bases are all covered. Satisfied?"

"She's said something," He said with a growl, and turned to look out the window with his arms crossed over his chest. "Dumbledore keeps looking at me funny."

"You don't think that's residue from your little boxing match in the Great Hall, do you?" Bella rolled her eyes. "You don't know the teachers like I do, Avery. They'd have kicked you out if Sinistra had talked."

"Mmm," Avery replied.

Severus bristled at his nonchalant agreement. "I don't know why you had to hit her—you weren't supposed to hit her—you were supposed to scare her, talk to her, but not HIT her—"

Avery turned and glowered at Severus. "Are you trying to tell me what to do?"

Severus sneered. "It didn't even work to split them up! She's shut up with him in the hospital wing and won't talk to anybody else—"

"Quiet, halfblood."

"Both of you shut up, or I'll rat myself." Bellatrix had already changed into her own set of robes and shoes.

Avery and Severus shared one more sneer, and then Avery turned on his heel and left.

"He better not lay another finger on her."

"I'm sure he won't. You're certainly threatening enough to keep him away." Bellatrix shot Snape a flat look. "He's got family in town. He won't be able to get away without being caught. Now stop brooding, before you're late to Charms and cost the house ten points or something."

Severus scowled deeper, hating her for being right. For knowing he wasn't fierce enough to defend his own territory. He'd find a way to make Avery fear him—to regret what he'd done. And he would regret it—for an age, and sorely.


	13. Sectum Sempra

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 13

* * *

Rudy was allowed to stay the following day with Aurora as well, much to her relief. She still had trouble doing anything without him. When he had left to grab some stuff for the day, Aurora had to fight the tears of fright that threatened her the whole time. He had left his wand with her, and Nurse Pitka sat at her side, holding her hand and talking to keep her distracted, but she still only breathed easy when he came back with his backpack and a few odds and ends in tow. When it became dark out, Rudy noticed Aurora's eyes flicking to windows that suddenly showed her reflection instead of the grounds. He studied her for a moment, and suddenly making a decision he reached for his backpack.

"What?"

"Sometimes," Rudy said softly, "when something is bothering me, and I can't write, I like to read." He pulled out his journal, laid it open on Aurora's lap. "It's like looking in a mirror, reminding myself that I'm real. That I can write, sometimes, even if not just then." He ran his finger down the side of a page. "Would you like me to read to you?"

Aurora nodded, flicked her glance at the windows once more, and settled back against his chest. His deep voice rumbled inside her head, his rich, comforting tones drowning out some of the other voices screaming at her. He wished it might have been romantic; but then, this was more than just sport. The words themselves had been written in gravitas, and perhaps this was why they did so well to keep Aurora calm.

Pitka watched from nearby, frowning and pacing, just waiting for them to start using the privacy for more nefarious purposes. In her hospital wing! Young people! And the headmaster's approval! She snorted in derision to herself, and turned away from them again. Rudy wouldn't sleep in the chair, he'd made that clear, and even though the beds were made up she couldn't make him move to another one to sleep alone. Not that Aurora would have kept herself from panicking in such an arrangement, and imagine two bunks pushed together!

Purebloods, spoiled, bratty children, Pitka thought to herself, and then sighed. Nothing to be done. She liked her position at Hogwarts, and she doubted Dumbledore would heed the whims of a lordly parentage, but dragons were best not poked with sticks. She approached the couple again, now resigned, and set out a sleeping draught for Aurora.

* * *

When Rudy awoke the next morning, it was because soft voices were talking at the other end of the room. Aurora was still sound asleep against his chest and he smiled down at her. Carefully he craned his neck to see who was talking and watched as Dumbledore and Pitka arranged something before the headmaster made his way to the bed where Rudy lay. Rudy gave a hesitant sort of smile, suddenly feeling awkward that a professor should be looking over him and Aurora, but Dumbledore was not there to discuss that.

"Would you awaken her please, Rudy?" He asked quietly.

Rudy nodded and gently shook Aurora, leaning down to quietly talk her awake and kiss her ear. She blinked a few times, emerging from the sound sleep and looked curiously between Rudy and Dumbledore.

"Good morning, Aurora," Dumbledore greeted her with a smile. "Sleep well?"

Aurora nodded silently and rubbed her eyes, as Rudy helped her to sit up a bit. He kept an arm around her and she lay tiredly against his shoulder, watching Dumbledore and awaiting an explanation for his coming so early. He smiled at the two of them.

"I'm sorry to wake you up so early, but I had to come before classes started. Rudy must start attending classes again today and Nurse Pitka says there is little need for you to spend all your time in the hospital wing, though she'd like to check on you every day. You're both dismissed."

Rudy felt his temper rise. Dismiss her? As long as they had to give her sleeping draughts, he didn't think the situation constituted itself as healed. And while he understood that he had to go to class….it seemed senseless and uncaring to kick Aurora out when she was still unwell. Her eyes had grown wide at the mention of Rudy leaving and she hardly heard the part about her leaving the wing. If Rudy wasn't here, then anyone else could come in. Avery would have no trouble getting to her up here, she would have no wand, Pitka rarely came out of her office during the day…her whole body shook.

"No," She said weakly. Rudy held her tighter. "No, Professor, please. Let him stay. I-I can't…He has to stay here. I need him…"

Dumbledore remained firm. "Miss Sinistra, you only crashed your broom. You are lucky he stayed as long as he did, but the time has come when the usual routine must continue. He can visit you later when you are out of the hospital wing."

Rudy shot a sneer at Dumbledore, who stared politely back. The headmaster of all people was the one person Rudy thought took the situation as seriously as he did. So why was he being brutal about it now?

"Professor, I don't think Aurora is well enough to leave…"

"Nurse Pitka seemed very matter of fact on the matter, Rodolphus," Dumbledore cut him off. "And you should get your things together before you are late for class."

Aurora whimpered when she felt Rudy's body start to shift impatiently, as though he was going to actually obey. He couldn't leave! Not right now, not while Avery was still out there…

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at her, when she held tighter to Rudy. "Miss Sinistra, he has no further reason to stay. So, unless you can tell me why it is you so desperately need him here he must return to class and you to your normal routine as of tomorrow."

Aurora chewed her lip and paused. She felt Rudy tense and look at her too, anxious for an explanation. Suddenly, it made sense to him. Dumbledore was doing this to get the truth out of her. He waited with great anticipation.

But Aurora didn't speak right away. She couldn't tell them! If she did, Rudy would go ballistic and hurt someone, including himself, and truly get suspended. And if he was suspended, Avery's comrades would have clear shots at Aurora. Besides, who would believe her? Avery was a pureblood and from a well-known family. He was going to be the favored one in this arrangement every way she looked at it.

Dumbledore, tired of waiting, nodded at Rudy, who found himself willing to play along if it meant getting the truth from her. So he stood up, tearing himself away from Aurora who started pleading almost immediately. He had to turn a deaf ear, however, because part of him knew this was the only way.

Dumbledore watched Aurora and listened to her pleas, but did not hinder Rudy. He saw the tears return to her eyes and was alarmed how badly she began to shake without him there. Aurora had always been a strong, composed student. Now she was nothing but a scared little mouse. It troubled him to great lengths.

"Aurora?" He said quietly, taking a step forward. "Talk to me. Why can't Rudy go?"

Aurora, with her lips quivering and her eyes leaking tears shook her head. "He can't, professor. He just can't."

"Why not? Is someone going to come after you?"

Aurora didn't shake her head, but cried harder.

"Who's coming after you Aurora?" Dumbledore pressed, Rudy frozen in his spot as he listened.

"N-no one…" She stammered, but her face was buried in her hands.

Dumbledore straightened and flicked his wand, a large basin appearing in front of him. Rudy recognized it immediately.

"A pensieve."

"Very good Mr. Lestrange." Dumbledore watched Aurora's eyes flicker up towards it. "I need to collect your statement about Saturdays accident, Miss Sinistra. With the injuries obtained, it is required that we file an account with the Ministry and with Mungo's. Your parents also need to be informed. This way they can track and make sure all serious head injuries and long-term side effects were treated correctly. And that no foul play was included…" Aurora was sniffing, trying to stop her crying, but her body ached with what she knew was about to come. "We can do this one of two ways. You consent to testify by veritaserum, or you can offer me your memory of the evening if it's something you would prefer not to state out-loud."

Rudy glanced at Dumbledore. This was a lie; there was no way the Ministry would take a testimony under the use of veritaserum. It was illegal, even IF Aurora consented to it… But he knew Aurora was not thinking about the truth of this statement. Already, her eyes were watering harder again and she looked as though she had been forcibly trapped by this offer. Dumbledore was clever, Rudy thought for the thousandth time, and tried to keep himself from setting a steadying hand on Aurora's shoulder.

"Come on Aurora," Rudy said gently. "Just tell Dumbledore what happened, and I can stay…right professor?"

"If I see reason for you to stay Rudy, then yes."

Aurora glanced at Rudy and took a deep breath. "D-do you promise n-not to get angry?"

Rudy felt his temper flare already, these words sending warning signals, but he nodded and took her hand. "Yes, I promise."

Aurora looked back at Dumbledore and then down at the pensieve.

"D-do I have a choice?" She asked quietly.

"We are trying to help you, Aurora," Dumbledore reaffirmed. "If it is too hard to relive, then simply share the memory. I promise you, no one is going to hurt you. Not if you simply share what happened."

She looked at Rudy again, as if wanting him to agree. Depthless, blue eyes, begging him to reassure her, which he did—in a way. He knew how to care for her. Underhanded, perhaps, but for the best. "Come on, Aurora. Let us help you."

Aurora took another watery and shaky breath and nodded slowly, her eyes down at her hand that held Rudy's.

"Can I borrow your wand…?"

* * *

So many people. Did there have to be so many people that watched her humiliation? And how many times did she have to release her memory for access? Too many, she thought, and she shrank deeper into the security of Rudy's arms, burying the shame in her face. _Too many people are watching me fall apart. I don't like it. I wish they wouldn't tell me. I wish they didn't have to look._

In reality, it had only been a few. The Headmaster had watched, Professors Flitwick and Slughorn had watched, Nurse Pitka had emerged from the pensive crying, Aurora's mother and father would be there in a few days, and she had to sign the release for them, too. Too many signatures. Too many parchments solidifying Avery's words, too many voices telling her they were so sorry it was real.

Rudy held his hand over her eyes, tried to shush her. Dumbledore had suggested he had the right to refuse to see the memory. He had not asked Aurora to sign the paper, had refused to watch whatever it was that had happened. She'd asked him not to get angry—he was already angry—and it would be best, he thought, if he didn't see it. If he had no face to put with this damage that he saw, he could do nothing. If he knew who had done this… any face at all… he would tear it apart. Aurora didn't want that.

What a scandal, he thought to himself! How many days before his own parents heard his name? If purebloods had attacked her, if purebloods were brought before the ministry to answer for assault, it would be national news, and Rudy would not be there to protect her. He had other people to protect… but how could he leave her alone, when the whole issue was really all his fault?

His fault. All his fault, because he was attracted to a pair of legs. All his fault that maybe a family would collapse because he wished to date the child of a squib. His father would be so angry…

He closed his eyes and flushed. He was in so much trouble! _I warned you not to bring disgrace to me… _and Aurora reduced to cowering… He pulled her closer to him, hugged her and kissed the top of her head, rested his cheek there, trying to draw her into the hole he felt in his chest, to keep her safe, there—safe like his journals.

Dumbledore approached them again, and Rudy tiredly nudged Aurora. She reluctantly peeked out at the world, and then sat up more properly in Rudy's arms.

"Of course," said Dumbledore, "we all quite agree that this shall be punished according to school rules, Aurora." He paused, and she nodded. There was nothing to be done about it. He would know that she had told, that she wanted to get him in trouble—he was officially provoked…

Dumbledore continued speaking. "Of course, it becomes your decision whether or not you wish this to be dealt with outside of school. I believe you have grounds to initiate legal action, unless I am mistaken. This is, of course, according to your own preference. Hogwarts would stand behind you, and we encourage you to make an example of this behavior."

Aurora stared at him, dumbfounded.

"I am asking you to make no decisions now, and proffering no judgment. I believe you are probably tired," He paused as she nodded, "and that you should attempt to rest. I will need to speak with Mr. Lestrange for a moment, but we will remain in the room. Rudy, if you please."

Rudy kissed Aurora's head once, and disentangled himself from her grasp. He squeezed her hand briefly, and then went to sit a few beds away with Dumbledore.

Dumbledore squinted at him. "I take it you gather what has happened here?"

Rudy hesitated, and then nodded. Had known it from the first instant, and no use denying.

"What I wish to know from you, Rudy, is whether or not you have suspicions concerning who might have executed the attack on Ms. Sinistra."

Dumbledore waited.

"Thomas Avery," Rudy said, to start, and Dumbledore nodded slowly.

"He is the primary suspect, of course, given his recent behavior. Is there anyone else, perhaps some who may have been working with him?"

Rudy blanched. _My father. My father would have done this. He would have gone looking for her and tried to kill her and then come after me. Has he blamed Mama? Where is Rabastan?_

No, he couldn't have gotten into the school. And Avery wouldn't have gone to Rudy's father; like the sons, the fathers were also generally at odds. Too much ego and not enough turf. Who did Avery usually consort with? He had a few fourth year friends…

"Oliver Toomer," Rudy said slowly. "Francis Larson, Porter McCay. He hangs out with them a lot. But I don't know if they've done anything."

"They didn't need to be doing anything to her, Rudy. I am simply trying to gather information to put the situation together. Is there anybody else? Anybody that might have a grudge against you or Ms. Sinistra, that you would not normally associate with Mr. Avery?"

"The girls in her dormitory," Rudy supplied, and Dumbledore waited for him to go on. "Maybe Bella Black. Aurora is good friends with Sni—Severus Snape, you could ask him."

Dumbledore nodded slowly, and then stood and thanked him.

"Is there any chance this is not news?"

"News passes from ear to ear with regularity, Rodolphus. It is all in what one listens to."

Rudy blinked, shook off this cryptic answer, and turned to go back to Aurora. She brightened visibly at his gaze.

"One last thing, Rudy."

Rudy glanced back to Dumbledore.

"Is there anything you wish to tell me?"

Perhaps Dumbledore's earlier answer hadn't been so useless. The man was clever, Rudy reminded himself. Had Dumbledore seen something when he'd briefly considered his father as a culprit for all of this?

"No," Rudy said, and deliberately turned his back to Dumbledore, sitting down in a chair next to Aurora. His father had nothing to do with this. Not yet. Rudy wasn't going to invite him in and ask him to sit at Aurora's bedside.

* * *

Severus Snape sat outside under an apple tree, staring malevolenmtly at an apple that was stubbornly resisting his attempts to use magic. No matter how many different words he chose from the Latin or Italian or Greek, nothing seemed to be working. He wanted it to split in half. Why was it such a difficult task? He could make the apple peel and core itself—he could vanish every seed—he could replicate it and blast it into applesauce—but, alas, it would not simply split in half.

"Divisicorpus," he tried.

Nothing happened. He consulted the syllabary.

"Corpora Sempra," he suggested foully, but still, the apple remained whole in his hand.

"Sempra!" He shouted, and the stem split into three.

He stared at it. Could this be the spell? Could this be the one word, with the wrong wand movement? Did it require another word?

Oh, how he longed to see this one come to completion—he wanted to have it as a weapon against Avery if he ever set another finger on Aurora ever again—he wanted to be able to tear him limb from limb with his own cleverness and magic. He wanted to carve James Potter into a hundred tiny pieces, remove Sirius Black's head, or at least his ridiculous hair. Who needed to be as ridiculously strong as Lestrange, or Mulciber, or Montague, or Goyle? What did it matter if you had the might of magic on your side?

"Severus, my dear boy—what on earth have you been doing?" Professor Slughorn puffed down the slope, conjured himself a chair and then sat.

Severus looked guiltily around at the mess of smashed apple, debris of his experimentation.

"Looking for seedings," he said dully, in an effort to mask what he really had been doing.

Slughorn wasn't listening, anyway. "I wanted to ask you, Severus, whether or not you know anything about what might have happened to Miss Sinistra lately. I know you two are particularly fast friends, and if there is anything that you might have heard…"

Severus flushed and looked at the ground. "She incurs much danger by flirting with the purebloods, Professor. It could have been anyone." How hollow he felt. Well! She did deserve it! She was being rash and stupid and any suffering she went through was proof that she did not belong in that world. She belonged down here, with him. Like Lily did. But they both insisted on pretending to pretension- it was unnecessary and insulting and infuriating!

"I take it you haven't heard anything, then?"

Severus moodily plucked the split stem off of his apple and threw it. "No," he said.

"Well, it is a terrible shame. Do please come and tell any of us if you have information, won't you?"

"Of course, Professor."

"Very well, then. I will leave you to your… seedlings." Slughorn looked around at the mess once more, and seemed suddenly anxious to rid himself of present company. "Pleasant afternoon, to you…" he vanished his chair and waddled his way back up towards the castle.

Snape glowered at the apple, pictured Avery's head in his mind. He'd removed the tail—how was it different from the flesh of the apple… _flesh, _he thought to himself, _flesh and not body…_

He flipped through the syllabary, settled on a word, and stared at the apple in his hand. His tongue hissed the words against his teeth, so they sounded as sharp as swords cutting through the air. "Sectum Sempra," he whispered, and flicked his wand across the apple.

It dutifully fell in two in his hand, one end falling to the ground and oozing its overripe juices into the grass.

* * *

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	14. Consent

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 14

* * *

Dumbledore sat down in his office and stared across at the pensieve.

"It does present a problem," he said slowly. Thomas Avery had of course been the one to shout and attack Aurora. The problem was that he had a confirmed alibi, from an unbiased source… Signore Rosmerto had seen him in the Three Broomsticks, and there was no chance that Avery could have attacked Aurora had he been in Hogsmeade. Dumbledore had asked Avery for his memory of the place, given the accusations and Aurora's recollection; Avery, of course, had denied it. Still, Aurora's proof of his attack was nearly incontrovertible, alibi or not. Dumbledore reached out and swirled the thoughts in the pensive with one long finger. _How well the mind remembers magic_, he mused, thinking of how solid Avery looked in her memory.

A loud rap sounded on the door, but Dumbledore ignored it deliberately. They'd temporarily suspended Avery, a unanimous vote. Perhaps a different matter, a more complicated one, in front of the ministry. If the ministry became involved at all. He leaned back and tented his fingers, staring into the swirling gray of the pensieve.

Dumbledore frowned as the tapping on his door grew more impatiently insistent. He glanced at the door and slowly closed his eyes.

"Come in!"

* * *

Because Rudy was not allowed in the girl's dormitory, and because Pitka had been so moved to pity after viewing Aurora's memory, both she and Rudy had been allowed to stay in the hospital wing. It wasn't a bad set up; they had been moved to a corner where screens had been set up for their privacy and with room for their belongings and a few chairs. Rudy still attended class during the day, and Aurora's homework was brought to her in advance, and she sat in the corner and did it while Rudy was gone. Pitka's door was always open now, and she was constantly checking on Aurora. Cissy still visited daily, and brought flowers still, under the impression that Aurora was still recovering. That's what the majority of students had been told; that her head injuries were still healing. But a few, noticing Avery's suspension, starting putting it together—those that had been in on the plan especially. But it was generally kept under wraps.

Aurora's head had healed up well. Unless she applied pressure to the back, it was unnoticeable. Her ribs, on the other hand, were still giving her trouble. Depending how she laid, or how her arm, or Rudy's arm, rested on her, they would sting. Even breathing hard when she cried still upset them and there was no potion to heal them fast, as Pitka kept telling her.

She sat in a chair, curled up and reading her astronomy distractedly, one hand pressing her against her side as she realized just how bothered it was right now. Rudy would be up any minute, and an elf would bring them dinner, and then they'd study together some and eventually go to sleep if Dumbledore did not question them both. That's how their nights had gone, and that was the routine they had both gotten used to. Even with Avery gone, however, Aurora's head snapped up at any sound she heard, and every room Rudy checked before she entered. It may have been unnecessary paranoia…but better safe than sorry.

"It's still bugging you?"

Aurora looked up at Rudy, who had come in just as she had predicted. He nodded at her hand and where it clutched her side and she gave a slight nod.

"Yes," She set aside her book and watched him drop his bag to the ground and remove his school robe. He always did this as well; remove the bag, remove the robe and sling it over the nearest chair, loosen his tie and run a hand through his hair. Then he'd walk over to the bed, flop face first into it, take off his watch and set it to the side and nap until dinner was brought to them. Aurora realized she could get used to this. Not the constant fear part, but having a routine with him. Having one home, having one routine, always being there to greet him after a long day…

But today he disrupted that routine and snapped her out of her thoughts. Instead of going to the bed, he came over to her and knelt in front of her, a concerned look in his eyes.

"Is it still bruised?"

Aurora nodded again and lifted her shirt slightly to show him. It was still discolored, but less so due to the salves she had been given. He cringed, the sight of it giving rise to the anger he had tried so hard to lock away for the time being. How dare they hurt her like this—how dare they hurt his girlfriend…it was a direct jab at him just as much as it was an injury to her.

Aurora noticed his look and covered it back up.

"Remember…no anger…" She said quietly, tilting his chin up to look at her. "I need you."

"Aurora…" Rudy couldn't look in those eyes. Not now. He'd lose to them if he tried fighting them. "Aurora, how far do we let this go before one of us…"

"How far are _you_ willing to go?" Her voice was strong, but there was a hint of sadness. "You are still here with me—I have let it go this far. I do not know where I draw my own line…all I know is I have not come to the end of my rope yet."

Rudy frowned. "You could've been hurt worse, Aurora. I am not worth this…" He let his fingers trail lightly over her shirt where the wound was. "And I do not want you to endure more because of me…"

Aurora studied him seriously. "You are under no obligation to stay here, or with me, Rudy."

He blinked. Was that what he was saying? No, it couldn't be. He was just trying to figure out how much they were going to endure before this wasn't such a good idea…before the good was far outweighed by the bad. She had said that so confidently…was she right? Was that what he wanted; to just back out? But didn't that make him a coward? Of course not, he was doing it for her own safety.

He reached up and cupped her face and brought her down to meet his lips. He needed to kiss her. Since she had been hurt, he had not kissed her enough, and whether or not it was damning him or reaffirming for him, he always felt better after he did. And she did not disappoint. She fell to her knees to kiss him better and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. He had to know she was in this, entirely. She had already endured the bad, and still this was worth it. Being held by him like this, being kissed like this, having him smile at her…it was worth it. It was.

Aurora ran her nails through his hair and pulled away to study his eyes. She could always read him best when he looked at her, and she noticed when he was uncomfortable, he avoided it. So now, while he was so closely pressed against her and still trying to kiss her, she glimpsed into his dark eyes. There she saw much of what she was feeling herself; desire, but hesitance; content, but anxiety; confidence, but fear; determination, but uncertainty…they were so much alike.

"You're doing it again…" He mumbled against her lips and she gave him the kiss he was searching for.

"…what is that?"

"You're observing me. Reading me. Charting me like you do the stars…" He paused and smiled lightly at her, rubbing his nose against hers.

Aurora smiled back at him. "How am I supposed to love you if I cannot know and understand the real Rudy?"

Rudy paused and pulled back slightly, willingly looking into her eyes now. Aurora realized the slip and her cheeks flushed, and she turned away from him, saying nothing more of it. Thankfully the elf chose that moment to arrive with dinner. Quickly she stood up from where she had been on the floor with Rudy and took the food from the tray and handed one to Rudy, while sitting back in her chair and eating hers in silence. How stupid could she be? To have used such a word in casual conversation? Was she really to blame though—when he kissed her like that, who was she to think straight anyway?

Rudy also ate silently, unable to stop looking at her. She noticed his constant gaze, but she pretended to ignore it. How embarrassing. Eventually he spoke, when he was nearly finished, but it was on other matters.

"I have to go to the library for a little while," He said quietly. "I told Parkinson and Higgins I'd help them cram for our transfiguration test."

Aurora frowned into her food.

He added gently, "But your parents will be here soon, so I'm sure you'll hardly miss me."

Aurora looked up with bright eyes. "That is tonight, isn't it?" She glanced down at herself. "I suppose I should try to look semi-decent for their arrival."

"You look beautiful."

Rudy had said it so quickly he had nearly cut her off. They both blushed and looked back down at their food. What were they, two-year-olds? They were going steady and still this seemed awkward to them!

When Rudy finally finished, he packed up his bag and left Aurora with a hesitant smile, assuring her he'd be up later. Pitka came in to keep Aurora company until her parents arrived and they couldn't come soon enough. Aurora changed into a simple black dress and the nurse even helped her with her hair, since raising her arms like that started to hurt. By the time the parents had arrived, Aurora looked like she was ready for a night out. She ran to greet them, still barefoot, and fell into her father's arms. Peter Sinistra hugged his daughter carefully, but firmly and kissed her head repeatedly.

"Come, come Peter," Her mother's voice was unmistakable with it's light French accent and sounding more like the song of a veela. "Let me get a look at her as well!"

Aurora was released by her father and her mother immediately took her and pressed her into her bosom, cuddling her like she was still a child that had gone missing. Aurora didn't mind. She was just happy to have them there.

"Heavens sakes Aurora," Her mother said into her hair. "You look just like how we left you!"

"You look wonderful," Mr. Sinistra said, rubbing his daughter's back and looking fondly at her. "School work not too overwhelming?"

Aurora pulled away from her mother's tight grasp and shook her head.

"No, not at all…the classes are same as always."

"Still the good grades?" Jacqueline asked and when Aurora nodded, she beamed. "I would expect nothing less."

"We were so worried—what happened?" Peter asked just as Dumbledore came through the door. Aurora's excitement at seeing her parents suddenly fell to the pit of her stomach and was replaced with dread.

"Erm..mum, dad, this is Headmaster Dumbledore. I've told you about him before…"

They both shook Dumbledore's hand and he nodded respectively to both.

"Pleasure to meet you both. You are very lucky to have Aurora as a daughter; she is one of our top students. Particularly in the astronomy department." Both parents beamed and Mr. Sinistra clasped Aurora's shoulder. "But I have not called you here on matters of grades, as you know. Aurora was attacked by a student this past weekend, and while we have done everything to ensure she has been taken care of and the other student dealt with, there are…complications."

"How so?" Mrs. Sinistra asked, her brow furrowed. She looked a lot like Aurora, with long blonde hair and a soft complexion with striking eyes.

Dumbledore glanced at Aurora, then back to the parents. "I'm sure Aurora has heard this story enough to last her a lifetime. So, we have the option of her signing a consent to let you see into the pensieve and seeing the memory that way. And then I can take you into my office for a briefing of the more technical matters. I will bring you right back here after I've adequately filled you in on everything."

Peter and Jacqueline glanced at one another nervously, getting the impression that it was far more serious than they had otherwise anticipated.

"We'll be right back, love," Mrs. Sinistra said, hugging Aurora again. Aurora squirmed.

"Ouch, mother, careful! My ribs…"

"Sorry darling, sorry." She chuckled sheepishly, passing Aurora to her father.

Mr. Sinistra bent down to look at Aurora squarely.

"We'll talk more later…but I'm proud of you, and we are going to make sure this is taken care of and nothing more happens to you, okay? You don't deserve this. We love you, right?"

Aurora nodded with a small smile and he kissed her forehead sincerely before taking the signature from Aurora and following Dumbledore to his office. She loved those words and how he said them. She didn't realize how much she had missed him until this moment, and watching them leave was almost too much. So instead of dwelling on it, she returned to her homework and Nurse Pitka's company, and awaited both their return and Rudy's. She was anxious for them to meet him.

* * *

"Esc, Higgs."

"What?" Higgins looked up momentarily from his wandwork.

"Esc, not EX. EvanESCo." Rudy was bored out of his mind.

"He can't help it. It's the low country coming out in him," Parkinson chuckled.

"Oi! Mind your mouth!" Higgins retorted.

"Told you," Parkinson sniggered, and went back to pompously surveying the Transfiguration book.

"Explain the theory of Vanishing," Rudy said tiredly, watching as the replica of Higgins' couch pillow became transparent.

"The object dematerializes, and cannot be reclaimed because… because…"

"Because it becomes part of everything around it," Rudy finished.

"Which explains why elemental transfiguration is possible," Parkinson drawled, turning a page.

"Right," said Rudy.

They'd been at it for hours. Of course Rudy knew all the spells and all the theory and all the wand movement anyway—he'd known it for months, before classes had even begun. It was his father's pet project, with Rudy. Rudy was too stupid to figure out Transfiguration by himself; Rabastan was too advanced to understand simple magic like charms. Their father hired tutors; the tutors trilled them to the point of perfection, so that summer was more like school and this was an annoyance during his vacation.

They did their best to help each other study, in their months off, whether it was charms or Transfiguration, or the morning's Prophet or the great speeches of old orators. They were constantly quizzed by their tutors, constantly harassed to study and recite sections of books by their father, when he came home in a particularly foul mood.

Rudy glowered at his text book. A hickory switch—that's what Avery needed—to be beat across the shoulders a few good rounds with a switch, then maybe he'd learn some class—maybe Circe's grand transfiguration would smite him—

"Oi. Rudy. Wake up, will you? I'm having trouble with this pillow again."

Rudy dutifully watched Higgins' attempts to vanish the pillow. He corrected the wand movement for the forty fifth time, it felt like, and gestured to him when the pillow vanished from sight. "Circe, Higgs, can't you hold your wand steady? It's just a curve... like you were turning a cup upside down…"

"Lestrange," drawled Parkinson, "What is with you?"

Rudy slid his eyes towards his mate. "What?"

"You love transfiguration. What's got your dick knotted up? Aurora too sick to suck you off?"

Rudy snarled at him. "You watch your mouth when you talk about her—"

"See what I mean?" Parkinson said to Higgins, and then turned down to his book and leaned back in his chair. "He can't even take a joke anymore."

"What?" Rudy snapped.

"And I thought Rosier was pissed—"

Rudy groaned and rolled his eyes, letting his head fall back on his shoulders. Evan had been glowering and shouting at everyone today. They'd expected the schools to arrive, and instead it had only been a couple of teachers. Apparently they were discussing the rules for the tournament. "We're not even supposed to know, you realize that?" Rudy shoved his book away from him, his words dripping acidic scorn. "He doesn't even have a right to be pissed off—it's his fault he has an unreliable source of information—"

"I think he's right, Rudy. You need to go for a fly, or summat."

"Do you want help or not?" Rudy bristled.

"Yes, I'd love your help. By all means, do stay here and continue to flog us with your bad temper." Parkinson rolled his eyes.

Rudy shoved out of his seat, grabbed his bag, and stalked out of the library. He'd never even opened his own book.

He went up to his dormitory, which was thankfully empty, and slung his back into his bed. He then flopped down on it. "What's wrong with you," he mimicked in a high voice, staring at the arched roof of the dormitory.

He knew what was wrong, though. He'd sworn to do nothing about Aurora's predicament—not to get angry or upset with anybody, but he had no way to ventilate his frustration! There was no Quidditch, there was no fight, there wasn't even a challenging test or a first year in the common room, or a mudblood to taunt in the halls…

_You have a mudblood upstairs, though, Rudy. She loves you, did you hear her?_

"You can't, Aurora—you can't love me…"

Rudy pulled his pillow out of his sheets and pressed it over his face. Now she really was hurt—there was nothing he could do, it was borrowed time they were living on—didn't she understand that? Didn't she know that he was going to have to leave her, sooner or later or sometime? How could she love him?

The way she looked at him! He couldn't, he couldn't voluntarily just leave her, but the wait was killing him. The suspense. How did he know when it was going to happen? He needed to be able to choose the moment—to step into it on his own terms, just like at home… did you always have to brace for the blow before you provoked it?

He suddenly sat straight up in his bed. _Her parents. Her parents are here. _He looked at himself in the mirror—tried to tidy his hair and straighten his wrinkled shirt. No good. He'd have to change. He hurriedly renewed his shirt, slung his bag over his shoulder, and started the march up to the hospital wing.

A familiar rock dropped into the pit of his stomach, and his steps slowed. How do you explain to her parents that she endured the attack because of him? How do you explain that she suffers because of them?

He stopped altogether. He could not continue to care for her like this. He couldn't. He hadn't been flying in days, he hadn't slept in his own bed in days… he hadn't been to the attic in days… his father… but how do you abandon her in front of them? How do you _win_ this… he ran a hand through his hair, mussing it again. Where was Rabastan's closing gambit, the checkmate, the winning move?

As he approached the hospital wing, he was very surprised to find a person he recognized pacing the hallway outside of it, smoking a cigarette and twirling her wand in the air, constantly siphoning the stream of smoke into her wand.

"Madame Bruseau," he said, and bowed slightly. "I haven't heard anything of you in ages. How is your family? What brings you to Hogwarts?"

Jacqueline smiled sadly. "Ah. You must be young Master Lestrange." She sighed. "I am Aurora's mother."

Even as she said it, Rudy knew. Aurora looked like her in the most stunning respects—tall, blonde, blue-eyed and winnowed, long lines and soft corners. "Have you ever been to Egypt, Mr. Lestrange?" Her voice jerked him out of his reverie.

Rudy shook his head. "No, Madame, I have not had the privilege. But your daughter tells me…"

"Yes, we have been living there for these past months," She said, and her eyes danced a little bit. "Charmant… and the horses… but they make the most fabulous cigarettes." She examined hers momentarily, and then, with a flick of her fingers, it vanished. "I cannot put my finger on quite what it is, but they are enjoyable."

Rudy nodded awkwardly.

"Come, mon enfant… I would like you to meet my husband."

Rudy bowed slightly and proffered his arm politely. She took it, and allowed him to push open the door that led into the hospital wing. He led her inside, but she disengaged his arm and approached the screen where Rudy had been sleeping for these several days. Rudy stood there, nervously playing with the hemmed sleeves of his robe.

"Peter? Come here and meet this young man Aurora has been talking about so much. He is absolutely charming."

Rudy braced himself, but still wasn't ready when Aurora's father emerged. _So he is a squib_, Rudy thought to himself. _He's Aurora's father! SQUIB, _his mind argued back.

Rudy bowed slightly. "Mssr. Sinistra."

Peter Sinistra did not move, standing rigidly before Rudy with all the bearing of an offended monarch. "Are you aware that it is customary for a young gentleman of stature to obtain the approval of a young woman's guardian before he commences to court her?"

"Sir?" Rudy said, surprised. "It's nothing formal going on—"

"Do you mean to tell me that there is something informal about the curses around my daughter's middle—"

"They're cursed?"

"—Or that there is something _informal_ about the taunts and gestures she endures at your behest—"

"Sir, she chooses herself—"

"TELL ME, then, Mssr. Lestrange, how I am to rest easy when I know she has put herself willingly in danger for—for—" He seemed at a loss for words, color rushing into his cheeks.

"Peter," his wife said gently. "Aura adores him. Do we suddenly doubt her judgment?"

Rudy felt as though all the blood in him had drained out and made a puddle on the floor. Attempting to breathe some stability back into his own spine, he spoke. "Sir, if I have behaved out of order, I beg your pardon," he said, and then bowed again. "If I am going to be around your daughter, I would have your blessing for it." He bowed still further.

There was silence for a moment, and then Peter spoke quietly. "You, young Master Lestrange, would seek the approval of a squib to entertain his daughter?"

Rudy flushed. He had forgotten in the quiet, unmoving intensity of Peter's words, that the man was not magical. "Yes," he said slowly, and flushed a deeper color. Rudy would pay for that answer. When his father found out—he always found everything out, he always had a way of knowing absolutely everything—when he found out Rudy had just suborned himself to a squib, his father would beat him senseless.

"And if I deny it?"

Rudy thought for a moment, and then stood up straight and looked Peter Sinistra in the eye. "I would apologize to you, sir, but Aurora's approval is my priority. If she would have me without your approval, I would remain by her side."

The two men looked at each other for a long moment.

"You have no idea what you're doing," Peter said miserably, and slunk into a chair.

Aurora burst from behind the curtain and ran to Rudy, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her father had been so upset, so angry—she had kept it from them, how badly she was treated for her status—she had never told her mother how classless she looked here, next to the well-attired and newly shoed school… and to suffer more persecution for one of _them…_

"But we are like them!" Aurora had protested. "You and mother are both of pure magical blood! Why doesn't it carry over to me? If nobody else believes it, why can't we?"

"Aura…"

"Mother _married_ you, didn't she? Why can't I date him?"

"It's not proper, mon bel enfant," her mother had said. "Not unless he wishes your hand."

"What if he does?" She'd protested. She flushed with the sudden saying of the thought—such a secret hope made public—"What if he does?" Her heart was beating so quickly.

"I shan't allow it," her father had protested. "Look at how dangerous it is for you here already—perhaps we should school you in Egypt—"

"You can't!" Aurora had started to cry at this point. "You can't—you've said it yourself, we move around too much for that—"

"They will KILL you!" Her father had pointed at the ground and hissed at her. "Do you even know what his family is like? He's being groomed for Death Eating—they'll kill you for soiling him—"

"I don't soil anybody," said Aurora, through clenched teeth.

"Aura—" Her father sat on her bed, moved to touch her, but she jerked away.

"You try and keep him from me. It won't work."

What a terrible argument to have had. What a terrible realization for her father to have come to. It wasn't fair! She had borne all of this for so long without worrying them, without distracting them from their precious horses…

"Nous vous aimons," her mother had said gently.

"Then you'd better like him, at the very least," Aurora had snapped. There had been a long, awkward silence. Her mother had left to smoke.

"Aura, this has been your whole life? They have always hurt you like this?"

"No," she had snapped. "They're just mad because Rudy likes me better than the purebloods." She'd glared malevolently at her father, and watched as he wilted.

"Such names," he whispered. "I remember." He reached out and brushed her bangs away with a thumb. "All because of me."

"Because of you both," Aurora had corrected, still stubbornly angry. "You and Rudy. And I still like both of you."

Her father smiled. His wife came in a moment later, trilled Rudy's arrival. Aurora lit up like a candle, but her father pressed her back down into the bed. "Let me talk to him?" He'd whispered.

"Be nice," she'd said, and he had been smiling… smiling until he saw the boy, spitting image of his father, just as Peter remembered him… all pressed shirts and heavy, expensive robes, imported shoes and silk ties… _him _around _his_ daughter—Fists and feet and cursed bruises from cursed boots because of HIM—

And now, Peter thought to himself, now that the confrontation had expired, he was sitting here winded in a chair as _he_ held his daughter in his chosen arms, in his betrothed arms, probably, as though he held her down while someone else threw the punch. They had no idea. They had no idea what they would endure for this. She was still so young and so innocent—she would be so hurt when his family dragged him away, when he left her to nothing but the taunts…

His wife touched his shoulder as he looked up at Rudy cooing over Aurora, trying to shush her crying. "Oh, try not to be so sad, mi ami… smile at their young love. They are happy. Happy like us." She bent and kissed him, and he smiled up at her.

"Like father, like daughter…" he said, and attempted a laugh as Rudy scooped Aurora up in his arms and carried her back to the bed. _Hopefully, not father like son._

Aurora's parents had been given a bed opposite where Rudy and Aurora were staying. Mr. Sinistra was particularly tense when he went to say goodnight to his daughter and discovered who was sharing a bed with her. Even though Rudy was already half asleep and clearly with no intention of doing anything _but_ sleeping, Peter gave him a chilling glare and Aurora hit his shoulder lightly.

"Let him sleep," She whispered tersely at her father, as he leaned down to hug her. "He has spent his every waking moment here with me, to _protect_ me…"

Peter pursed his lips under his daughter's pointed look and glanced once more at Rudy, was purposefully pretending to sleep harder than he was.

"I don't trust him Aurora…"

"Father—"

"He is his father's son, a pureblood, a Slytherin…"

"And the only one in this school who has not harmed me yet."

"There is still time," Peter replied. "And there are other ways of hurting a person."

Aurora turned her gaze to Rudy and then back up to her father.

"I have had people telling me what to do my whole life; who to be, what do be, how to act, who to associate with…and for once, without anyone telling me, I took a chance on him. And _I feel right_. I feel like myself. Don't take that away from me. Don't _you_ turn into one of them too."

Peter shook his head, "There are other men out there who you will take a chance on—"

"They have to see me first," Aurora cut him off. "Stop forcing me behind a wall where I will never be seen."

Her father studied her carefully, but she kept her gaze unwavering. She knew what she wanted and it was Rudy. Whether or not it lasted, whether or not she found someone else, didn't matter right now. All that mattered was that she had him, in this moment, and she was not going to let someone take him away. Mr. Sinistra kissed her forehead lightly and attempted a smile. He and his daughter had always been close; closer than she and Mrs. Sinistra…that is why they could argue like this without holding back and still be okay. But the predicament worried him; she did not know the Lestrange patriarch like he did.

"Sleep well, my angel." He said quietly. Then with a final glance at Rudy he let them be.

Aurora settled back against the pillows and picked up her astronomy book again. She had been trying to study, Rudy watching over her shoulder and playing with strands of her hair absently, before her father had come in. But now that she was thinking about it, she couldn't read the words on the page. So much was in motion now; so many decisions and unforeseen dangers awaited her and she had no idea what to do. _This_ was what she wanted. To go to bed every night in the arms of someone who appreciated her. To wake up to his smile. To have his company whenever she so desired it and to feel like she was something more than a blood status.

He shifted next to her and she looked down at him over her book. He opened his eyes slightly, smiled at her, stretched and relaxed back into the bed.

"You look uncomfortable," Aurora said quietly. "Maybe you should return to your own bed."

"I'm fine," Rudy mumbled sleepily, using one hand to gently stroke her back. "Still studying?"

She nodded, but it was half-heartedly. Her eyes traveled away from his and rest on the book, but she was not concerned with studying anymore. She knew Rudy had been awake when her father had come in, and it was too late to take back anything he had said. So Aurora settled back into the pillows and replied simply with, "I'm sorry about my father. He's not a bad man."

Rudy's face twitched. "He does not trust me." He harrumphed. Stupid squib; if anyone was not to be trusted, it wasn't the pureblood; it was HIM.

Aurora was silent for a long time, staring emptily at the book in her hands and Rudy staring just as curiously at her. Something was on her mind and she was struggling to hide it. He thought it was cute, the way she used books to hide herself. He could take a lesson; it would save him from always being read whenever his eyes spoke louder than he did.

"They'll never let us be together, will they?"

The words were so harsh and sudden that Rudy jerked slightly. He had been convinced for a minute she had just left him for her own world, but now she was staring hard and purposefully ahead. Her fingers tapped the edges of the book and her breath had been sucked in sharply. Rudy didn't know what to say. It was true, after all. The world did not have room for their type of relationship; it's what had been haunting him so much the past few days. But to hear her say it like that…to see the pain in her face…it hit him twice as hard.

"I don't think so." He said flatly.

Aurora nodded to herself more than to him, and blinked hard a few times.

"I wish it were different," her voice sounded distant and full of melancholy. Despite Rudy's initial desire to hide his head under the pillow and block it all out, he was frozen by her honesty—the way in which she said it so assuredly as if there was nothing more clear to her just now. "I wish we lived in a time when blood didn't matter…when I was not squibspawn and you pureblood. I wish we could be just us. Just Aurora and Rudy. I wish we could hold hands without having everyone stare, or eat dinner without everyone laughing. I wish I could help you when you are unfairly sat out for Quidditch without being shunned by my house, or kiss you in the common room without being kicked the next day for it…" Her voice cracked, but she continued to stare determinedly ahead. Rudy watched her with a deep-set frown. "I wish my father could shake your hand and accept you as a son, instead of labeling you as a threat to his daughter…"

Rudy turned his face away from her, afraid that he was getting too emotional. Perhaps he was just tired and her sadness was catching.

"I wish it too Aurora…but let's be realistic," The words were forced. He didn't want to be the one to say it, but they were on such an honest kick anyway, he couldn't NOT say it. "It's not going to happen."

"I'm never going to meet your family am I?"

Rudy turned back to her, even though she still wasn't looking at him. Yet another question that had caught him off guard. "Not if I can help it."

Aurora nodded again and tried to nonchalantly wipe at her eyes. Rudy could tell she was hiding it, fighting it, growing more and more upset as her fairy tale world revealed itself to be something less than desirable. Why had he let this happen? Why had he chased her that day at Hogsmeade? Why had she fallen in love with HIM of all people?

"What lives we lead…" Aurora's voice was wistful now, and with a sniff she looked back down at her book. "How long do we let this go on?"

Rudy shook his head, his fingers still lingering on her back. His voice was hoarse and low as he spoke, revealing the sadness he had been locking away for so long. "I don't know…but it won't last. Not forever…" He watched Aurora nod, a single tear escaping her and falling to her lap. He felt like a jerk, but it was true. "The longer we prolong the inevitable, the more chance we have of you getting hurt." _Or I getting hurt_…

"So…" Aurora sniffed again, this conversation suddenly seeming like the hardest thing she ever had to go through. She almost wished Avery was kicking her again; it would've felt more pleasant. "So is this it, then? We just…end it now, and walk away?"

Rudy also felt like he had been kicked in the gut. All he had to do was nod. A simple nod, or "yes" would've sufficed. Would've ended them and let them both go their own ways. He would go back to his bedroom, sleep in his own bed, go to class tomorrow, and…and what? See Aurora in the halls and pretend he didn't know her? Pretend he had no desire to hold her, pretend he didn't take notice of her figure, her lips, her eyes? How was he just supposed to forget? How was this feeling he had supposed to go away? When people broke up, they broke up because the feeling had disappeared…but it hadn't. Not for him. If it had, he wouldn't have chased her; he wouldn't still be fighting the inevitable. Why couldn't he be the heartless pureblood Aurora once thought him to be?

Aurora leaned over the side of the bed and pulled out a piece of folded parchment, and Rudy shook himself from his thoughts to watch her. She was still crying lightly, but she seemed set on revealing this to him, whatever it was. He waited for her to speak, grateful not to have to answer her last question.

"I wrote this the other night…" Aurora wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffed again, composing herself as best she could. "It's not much, and I didn't think I'd ever actually show it to you…but I want you to read it now."

She handed it to him with a slightly trembling hand and with a slight chuckle she added, "I'm no poet, but I tried. I figured you'd be able to understand it better if I did it in the form you appreciate best."

Rudy sat up next to her and took the parchment in his large hands, carefully unfolding it as if it would crumble with one wrong move. Slowly he started reading it.

_I am here to tell you that we can never meet again.  
Simple really, isn't it? A word or two and then  
__A lifetime of not knowing where, or how, or why, or when.  
__You'll think of me, or speak of me, and wonder what befell  
That someone you once loved so long ago, so well…  
I never wonder what I'll feel as living shuffles by.  
You don't have to ask me and I need not reply.  
Every moment of my life from now until I die,  
I will think or dream of you and fail to understand  
__How a perfect love can be so confounded out of hand.  
Nothing can be altered,  
There is nothing to decide.  
No escape, no change of heart  
Nor any place to hide.  
You are all I'll ever want but this I am denied.  
Sometimes in my darkest thoughts I wish I'd never learned  
What it is to be in love and have that love returned…_

_Is it written in the stars?  
Are we paying for some crime?  
Is that all that we are good for just a stretch of mortal time?  
Is this god's experiment in which we have no say?  
In which we're given paradise,  
But only for a day…  
_  
Rudy read it again, his face hardened in the attempt to remain unreadable. But Aurora wasn't watching him anyway. Her eyes had returned to the book in front of her and she contemplated all that had been said. She did not know why she was showing him this now; he hadn't said they were separating. But she felt she needed to, because it was the first time she had ever attempted to write anything that wasn't a homework assignment. When he had finished reading it, there was another long stretch of silence as he stared at the parchment and she stared at the book. Finally, after what seemed like forever of them simply sitting, Rudy turned to look at her.

"You wrote this?" His voice was different than before. Instead of the hoarse whisper, it was tender and more like the Rudy she had listened to on the astronomy tower.

She nodded, still unable to look at him.

"It was the way you talked about poetry; about experiencing something that you only see on paper…I thought maybe if I wrote it down, I wouldn't have to keep living it in my head over and over again…it would just exist on paper and stop bothering me."

Rudy reached over with a gentle hand and turned her chin so she looked at him. He wanted to get lost in those eyes again. He didn't know what moved him more; the words on the paper, or the fact that she had put her heart on the paper and had shared it with him. She looked at him reluctantly, and tried avoided looking in his eyes, afraid she had already shared too much with him.

"Aurora…look at me."

She did, slowly, and when she did she was surprised by what she saw. His gaze was intense, but clear. Never had he so willingly let himself be read before. It startled her.

"I don't have answers for you, Aurora. I don't even have the answers to my own questions…" He smiled slightly and guided her chin closer to him. "But with you, I find paradise—whatever paradise is—even if it is only _just_ for a day…" He trailed off and took a kiss from her, his other hand setting her note to the side.

She kissed him back hesitantly, but stopped. "…we may only _have_ a day, Rudy. What if this goes public?"

His thumb gently ran over her jaw and shushed her. "I want paradise, Aurora, not this. Not now."

Despite her better judgment, despite the pressing urgency of all her decisions, Aurora had no choice but to oblige him. She knew her parents were not but a few feet away, she knew they should be sleeping, or talking about the seriousness of the mess they had gotten into. But right now, all she could do was get lost in kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his side and relaxing back against the pillows with her. There was little they could do tonight anyway, so they snogged as if it were the last time they would. Aurora didn't mind; truthfully it was better than fretting over the troubles of the world. She failed to hear her father move away from the other side of the curtain where he had been listening. She failed to finish her astronomy homework, for the book ended up on the floor when she wrapped herself around Rudy. All she was aware of was him—his hands in her hair and traveling down her back, his lips moving from hers to her jaw, to her neck and then back to her lips…she was okay with it. She was at her best when she was with him, even if only for a day.

* * *

Bellatrix Lestrange was walking in circles. Once clockwise, once counterclockwise, changing direction randomly but never leaving the same path she'd beaten through her clearing hours ago.

She stopped dead still, chattering loudly to herself to cover the unholy silence that had fallen over the space. Every magical creature with sense had fled her presence, every one except the centaurs; the centaurs might have killed her had she come any closer to their chosen territory, but that was lucky. She neither knew or cared about the centaurs, and would have attacked them as mercilessly as they would have attacked her themselves.

As it was, she had already taken out several more trees, powerful curses that exploded them from the inside, leaving acrid, charred stumps behind, the shorn bark at the ends curved and sharp. She fell silent, staring dazedly into the distance, exhausted and unseeing. She remained that way for several minutes, catching her breath, swaying as the wind blew through the trees, as it might have knocked her over.

At long last, she chilled, the sweat under her robe suddenly icy in the growing dark, and it seemed to wake her. "The gossip," she said, her voice fragile in the quiet. "If nothing else, the gossip will stop this. All the talk. Not good to talk," she said, echoing, reminding herself of some long lost chastisement. Taking a deep, dejected breath, she began to pick her way slowly out of the debris and underbrush of the Forbidden Forest, and headed back up to the school.

* * *

_Aurora's poem is an excerpt from the song "Written in the Stars" from the musical Aida. Lyrics are by Elton John and Tim Rice. I highly recommend listening to the full song, for it is beautifully written and accompanies Aurora's story so well. _

_We gratefully respond to each our reviews on our profile page. _


	15. Give me a dagger, do

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 15

* * *

A clock ticked, the noise almost drowned out by the sound of wind rushing in through a window, bringing with it the sound of leaves brushing against each other, the smell of wet earth and rain. Aurora sat in front of her mother, her mother's fine hands combing her hair back into a skillful, beautiful braid. It was so quiet that Aurora could hear the strands of her hair as they rubbed against each other. Rudy was in class; Mr. Sinistra was talking with Dumbledore; it was just the two of them, no distractions, and these were rare and special moments.

"Aura," her mother said quietly, binding the end of the braid with a twirl of her wand. She waited until her daughter turned to face her. "I do not think that you want to do this."

Aurora flushed, but said nothing, and did not look away from her mother's eyes.

"I do not think that you would give him up for a cause." She smiled sadly. "Is hating Thomas Avery more important to you than Rudy?"

"No," Aurora immediately responded, "Of course not."

"You know what they want, don't you? They want you to speak up."

"I've been thinking that too. Is that what Dad and Dumbledore are talking about?"

"Headmaster Dumbledore, Aurora, and yes, that is the matter about which they speak at such legth." Her mother reached out a placed a hand over her daughter's. "I would not see you be anyone's heroine but your own, Aura. Those men would choose a hard life for you. It is too hard a life to be a hero." Her mother patted her hand once. "I would see you be happy for yourself, mon bel enfant. If you would trade a few more days with this boy for days without him, and Thomas Avery following at your heels… would you be happy? All Maman asks of you is to be happy."

Aurora watched as her mother went to stand at the window, casting a long shadow into the room. If Aurora pressed formal criminal charges against Avery, Rudy could not be with her. Could not defend her. When the Prophet said that she had snared Rudy with potion or spell, he could not deny it. She would not ask him to brand himself a blood traitor. It would endanger them both, turn them into martyrs, into… corpses. A love strained for the sake of a cause that Aura didn't believe in, not really; the purebloods would never accept her, and she accepted that.

But if she didn't speak out… if she let the attack pass, Avery's behavior would continue. Would perhaps worsen. Aurora might still lose Rudy for protection. Would lose him when Rudy graduated, if not before. There were days before that parting, though! Days of paradise, each one lighting like a little orange bird on the tree of her life. Birds of Paradise. Cygnus and Aquila, spreading swan and eagle wings across the sky, joining the Northern Cross.

It was selfish, though, not to speak up. Almost cowardly. How many people could she save from similar attacks? How many pieces of legislation would run through, if she spoke out? _Likely none_, she thought. _Likely we will all be repressed. The Ministry is a pureblooded industry._

"Would you believe me," Aurora started, "if I said it was the wrong time? If I said anything, nothing would change. I would just be… targeted. Weighing the situation without Rudy in mind, that is what I see," she said. "Why should I send him away for nothing?"

Her mother smiled at her. "Why indeed?"

* * *

There was no more gossip. It hadn't grown; it had died out entirely. The entire school was talking about the tournament that Dumbledore had announced, talking about who Hogwarts champion would be and how attractive the students from the other schools would be, busy building up their own boasts and their nonsensical desires.

Bellatrix Lestrange was pacing the Slytherin common room, and hexing anyone that came close to her tiny route. What had Avery said, before they'd sent him home? What was going to happen now? His family would not endure publicized knowledge of his violent streak, Bellatrix knew that. How many people would he rat out to save face? How quiet would they make him be? What in the name of Circe and Merlin's soiled bedsheets was being said OUTSIDE the damn school, where people took things seriously, where gossip actually mattered?

WHY did Avery have to go before he wrote that stupid letter! WHY hadn't he written to tell her he'd written it from home, exposed Rudy for the treasonous bastard he was, told her exactly what he'd said, that the Master Lestrange had believed the story despite the low standing of Avery House, why hadn't he told her that everything had gone exactly according to plan, why hadn't he, why not, why not, why not, why not, WHY NOT? And Rudy, Rudy trouncing around the halls with her like it was normal, Rudy with all the foulness of her blood smeared across his face, breathed into his nose—_Rudy, MY Rudy!_ Her soul screamed in anguish, demanded blood.

He was going to pay for this. SHE was going to pay for her nasty little minx ways, for bewitching perfectly marriageable purebloods. Bellatrix scowled and hexed another passerby, and decided that she would spare nothing, not when the time came. She would lie silent and unnoticed in the shadows, and when the time passed close enough for her, she would strike hard and lethally, and it would be talked about for decades.

* * *

"Get off the track, Severus…" Rudy breezed by again, and Snape reemerged from the tall grasses to continue harvesting the weed that grew along the dirt-paved stunt flying track for the potions cabinet. Patches seemed to thrive on the arid turf, and considering the cushioning spells over it, the weed was rarely trampled. Few students bothered to use the twisting track to practice their flying manoevers- and those that did weren't the kind to fall.

"GET OFF THE TRACK, SNAPE…" Again, Rudy was there, this time hanging upside down on his fancy-pants broomstick. Severus hissed silently to himself, and refused to move.

"SEV! GET OFF THE TRACK!"

Silence. _Swish. Swish. Swish. _Rudy was flying over him. Plenty of airspace, Severus thought to himself. Why it mattered that he was down here uprooting weed, he did not know.

_Swat._ Severus looked up, rubbing the back of his head, but there was nothing around him. _Swat_. He whirled around to face the other direction. Where was it coming from? _Swat. Swat. Swat._

"LESTRANGE," Severus shouted. _Swat._

"GET OFF THE STUNT TRACK!"

"SECTUM SEMPRA!" Severus bellowed it before he knew it was coming out of his mouth, and Rudy fell right out of the air and on top of him.

* * *

Aurora had been sitting in this office for hours. She sat between her parents, staring at Headmaster Dumbledore, who sat at his desk with his fingers pressed together and leaning against his chin. Her head hurt with how much talking, negotiating, weighing, and decision making that had taken place. The family had been called in to discuss what legal action was to be taken should Aurora choose to take the events to the ministry. Dumbledore, however, made it very clear that although the evidence was significantly substantial, and while their family had no reason to lie about something like this, the Avery's were well known, respected, and feared. He did not hide the fact, as he talked to the three, that there was the possibility that the Ministry would favor Avery House simply because they were pureblood and held a higher station, if not a substantial one. Mrs. Sinistra, formally Madame Bruseau, was in a huff. Didn't they know what family she came from? Didn't they know her family was known all through France? Didn't they know…

"They don't care about your family, Mother, they care about father being a squib." Aurora stated flatly, her head in her hand. Everyone in the room looked at her.

There was a prolonged silence and then Dumbledore asked lightly, "What do you think, Aurora?"

It was the first time someone had bothered to ask her for her opinion. Otherwise, Aurora had sat and listened to the adults debate her future decision.

"I think I lose no matter which way I turn, and the less people that know about it, the better. Drawing attention to myself just makes me more of a target, and if we're trying to avoid more violence, it seems counterproductive to take it to the purebloods." She said as though she had recited the answer a thousand times. "I don't want to press charges."

"Aurora," Her father said gently, turning in his chair to look at her. "If you don't press charges, Thomas gets away with assault. There is nothing to stop him from doing it again."

"Mr. Avery will remain on suspension," Dumbledore added. "Though indeed, I do believe he will think twice before he does it again, with the school staff watching him and what with the warnings he has already received…"

Mr. Sinistra shook his head. "He knew the repercussions before he attacked her, and still did it."

"And if we make it public, more people like him will know and come after me too!" Aurora said in exasperation. "I don't want more attention. I just want to start going to class again and end the school year in one piece."

Dumbledore cut in before Peter could pipe up in objection again. "What does Mister Lestrange think about the whole affair?"

Aurora was momentarily quieted by this question. Why was Dumbledore asking her about Rudy? If he wanted to know, couldn't he talk to him himself? …and truthfully, she didn't know what Rudy wanted. He wanted paradise, that's what he had told her last night…but he had also been brutally honest about the matter. This would not last forever. Would he think her cowardly if she backed out of pressing charges? Would he think she was foolish, for giving up her chance to nail Avery just to be with him?

No, he had to understand. He knew how she felt about him. She had let it slip many times. Rudy also knew the odds of her winning any trial were slim…didn't he?

Oddly enough, Aurora's silence was picked up by none other than her father.

"Rudy wants what's best for Aurora…" He said quietly. Both Aurora and Jacqueline looked at him in surprise. "I believe he has her best interest at heart."

Dumbledore inclined his head with a slight smile. "So, Miss Sinistra, what is your decision? We'll need to know to inform Mr. Avery of his final punishment."

Aurora chewed her lip and glanced at her mother, who gave her a smile. Then she looked at her father, who set a hand on her knee and said with a sad smile, "Be safe, Aura. Please, please, don't let me worry about you like this."

She turned to her mother. "Do what makes you happiest, Aurora. Life will not be easy, no matter what road you take. So take the road less traveled if it means you find happiness there."

Aurora nodded, and turned back to Dumbledore.

"I will not press charges, then."

* * *

_"You know what this means, Aurora? Once your parents leave tonight, you and mister Lestrange will be moved back into your respective rooms and you will pick up classes again starting tomorrow."_

That's what Dumbledore had told her. Aurora knew it was too good to last; the private routine, the midnight snogs, the poetry before falling asleep, the catered dinners…she was going to miss it more than she could say. She had not felt more comfortable than she had the past few days with Rudy. Already the thought of being on her own made her tremble, but she pushed it aside as her mother helped her pack and her father watched with troubled eyes.

"Are you sure about this, Aurora?" He kept saying. "The schools in Egypt and Jordan are nice; you'd be able to spend more time at the Alexandria museum and you'd be around your mother and I…"

"And give up astronomy and Rudy?" Aurora shook her head. "I would go to school there for only so long as you race. Then we'd move again. And again….I am not like you. I don't want to be constantly on the move. I like what I have here."

"Rejection and ridicule?"

"Peter!" Jacqueline glared at him.

"It's what she has, Jackie!" He said with a gallant hand gesture. "Sure she has Lestrange for now—"

"Rudy. His name is Rudy."

"…but once his father hears about this, Rudy will either be pulled or we'll be called back for another injury."

"You're overreacting." Aurora scolded.

"Aurora, you don't understand their family! You don't understand Rostandus like I do. _I've _been hospitalized by people like him. They're evil. Rostandus Lestrange does not care if his son snogs you at night; he will still be rid of you before he sees the boy's reputation soiled."

"…you were spying on me?" Aurora asked, dropping some clothes into her trunk with a _thud_.

"Aurora!" He exclaimed. "I'm serious!"

"Well Father, I cannot live my whole life hiding." She said matter-of-factly, still troubled by the fact that he knew about her and Rudy. "I've done it. And it got me nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"It sounds to me like _hiding _is exactly what you're doing. Hiding from the truth, hiding from—"

"It's a fight no matter what I do! If Rudy stays, it's a fight for him. If Rudy goes, it's a fight against him. A fight that might concern Avery House and might not, it's all a fight, and I'd rather fight to be happy for a little while rather than stick my nose in a gristmill and die for a cause that is TOTALLY USELESS! I want _Rudy_, for a few days prior to my seemingly inevitable early death!"

"No. I'll pull you from Hogwarts. This is insanity. I'll not stand for it. You'll be schooled in Jordan, where you'll keep your tongue to yourself and come home to me nightly so I can see you're unhurt."

Aurora rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. "IT WAS SARCASM. Note, you and MOM are still alive."

"Your mother and I are adults, and your mother's family is not-"

"You set the example."

"Injuries? Hospitalization? Rumors and stares and insults? You want that for yourself? No. Your mother and I have learned how handle it, but I won't have that for you."

"Peter," Jacqueline said more firmly. "I trust the boy keep her safe. She only follows her heart, and we must trust that, like we trust each other, no?"

The woman both firmly stared at Peter, who shook his head angrily, unhappy with the knowledge that he was outnumbered, and incensed at knowing he'd already lost the argument. Aurora gave her mother a thankful smile and continued packing her stuff, her father shaking his head regretfully.

Aurora kissed her parents goodbye, waved to them as the train slid out of Hogsmeade. They'd had a nice dinner at Ivanhoe, an upscale restaurant in town after spending the afternoon shopping around for a few things Aurora needed, loading them all into her new bookbag. Dinner itself would have been a wholly fantastic occasion, save for the stairs into the restaurant that gave Aurora's bruises some trouble.

Dumbledore had come to pick her up just as they were finishing dessert, and now… now they were walking back up to the school… now they were parting on the staircase… now Aurora stood in front of the elegant door with the raven's beak curving out of it.

She knocked.

"Why can objects be charmed?"

Aurora paused. It was of course a simple answer, but it was one of her favorite pieces of magical theory, and she wanted to earn one of the rare compliments from the door about phrasing. "Life inhabits everything," she said. "It just takes a little magic to bring it out."

"Proceed," said the door, and swung open. Aurora sighed.

Chatter in the common room could still be heard as she walked up the stairs and disappeared into her dormitory, but not much. No ceremonious welcome for her; no applause, no smiles of approval. Just quiet.

At least there was a bouquet of flowers on her bed. She smiled dreamily, thinking of Rudy. She lifted them to her face and inhaled deeply. Laurels.

_Wait, laurels?_

She looked around the curtains that surrounded her bed and saw that the dormitory girls had all come out and assembled in a small, rather sheepish looking group.

Lavinia Dorset was tallest, with long wheat-colored hair that came down to the middle of her back. She adjusted her headband that kept it from falling into her face. "We had just wanted to say," Lavinia began, and then paused.

"We wanted to say that Thomas Avery was out of line," finished Heather Carr, short and stocky and bright-eyed. "However stupid you are for dating a pureblood, you don't deserve to be beaten up for it."

"How do you—"

"Everyone knows, Aurora." Lavinia said gently, and Aurora blushed and looked away.

"So?" Heather seemed anxious to ask the question. "Are you going to nail his ass to the wall, or aren't you?"

"No," Aurora said, still looking down at the Laurels.

"Logical." Jenn Patterson stared absently out the window, barely a part of the conversation.

"Anyway, we think the way you handled it was well reasoned, so we thought you deserved the laurels," finished Lavinia.

Heather spoke up stubbornly. "If you don't charge him, he wins! He gets away with it!"

"If I do charge him," Aurora contradicted, "He gets to pay someone to kill me, and then he _really_ wins. I'd prefer to live through this, if possible."

"Are you still with Rudy Lestrange?" Jenn asked, a hopeful smile on her face, though she was still staring off in another direction.

Aurora paused, and then nodded.

"Isn't he wonderful?" Jenn fell on her bed in a voluntary swoon.

Aurora looked around at them all, penitent, curious, and overwhelmed with the whole situation and how romantic it seemed… and Lavinia, sitting there with her keen eyes and unreadable face, as always. Were things back to normal? Could they perhaps be better than normal? Had Avery's stunt won her acceptance and even favor at last? No, she thought. It's just pity. They'll all be back to normal soon.

* * *

Rudy rolled out of the air and landed on top of Severus in a whole heap of tangled limbs.

"No, _no…"_ Severus was mumbling under his breath, and as the two boys slowly disentangled themselves from each other, the reason for his swearing changed.

Rudy wasn't hurt at all. He was standing there perfectly all right, leaning on his broomstick.

"Severus, the next time you attempt to curse somebody with one of your fancy little spells, learn how to aim, and make sure you're not on their turf. GET OFF THE STUNT TRACK." Rudy glowered at him.

Severus pointed his wand at his potions kit, which promptly folded itself into a pocket-sized container, and stalked of back towards the school. Rudy mounted his broom again and did a few practice laps around the track before he started with another stunt routine.

Gods, it felt so good to fly! To be free, to be up in the air like this… as long as he kept one hand on his broomstick, he couldn't fall. It was incredible.

Sometime later, with the dark closing in around him, he landed, wondering if Aurora was home from her jaunt around Hogsmeade with her parents. Rudy had woken that morning to go to class, but they'd been asleep… he hadn't had a chance to say goodbye before they left. That was all right, he supposed. They didn't like him anyway.

More important to him was whether or not Aurora had made her decision about Avery. He hoped she would let it go. It would be clearly impossible to take down Thomas Avery when his family were so ingrained in the ministerial machine. It would be easier to win if she accused Rudy of rape… though his family would probably kill her, if she attempted such a stunt.

Rudy wasn't going to rape her, anyway.

Morbid, Rudy thought to himself, and started walking back up towards the castle. The night breeze was cool around his shoulders, and he realized how damp with sweat he was. It was so simple for him to ignore everything while he flew.

He avoided his common room. He knew that there would be people in there, anxious to tease him, anxious to hear his stories, anxious to start fights and ask questions that he didn't want to answer. He tried the library attic, but held little inspiration for him, just then, and he instead wandered up the astronomy tower. Aurora wasn't there either, but he somehow felt comfortable here. He sat down on a bench, set his broomstick aside, and looked up at the black skies. They felt nearer here, Rudy thought. Nearer to him, as though he could reach out and pluck stars from the sky if he wished a closer look. Close enough to swallow him whole.

Feeling the night pressing in against him, he shut his eyes and drank in the silence and blackness. How he ached, to know what he'd done and what he would do. He wanted with every fiber of himself something that he could not have, that in taking and loving and caring for, he would destroy.

It wasn't fair. She loved him so freely, despite the self-destruction it entailed; why could he not do the same? He liked her, certainly. He wanted to be with her whenever he was not. But always, always reality encroaching in on the back of his brain! Always the guilty knowledge that what he did was _wrong_. Was this rebellion? _No_, he thought. _I'd have done it more deliberately._

"Rudy?"

Aurora had found him, and immediately he turned to look at her and smile, feeling guilty for thinking about her so analytically. She did not deserve the scrutiny.

"Hey there," Rudy said, and made room on the bench for her. "Did you make the big decision yet?"

She nodded, and settled in next to him and accepted the arm he flung around her shoulders. "I'm just going to let it go. I'd only make it worse."

Rudy nodded. "I'll do my best for you, you know that." It was always so clear to him when he was nearby; she was his responsibility now. Nothing would ever touch her again, not while Rudy was watching out for her. _I have to protect her. I'd stand in front of anything. _

"Aurora nodded again, reveled in the closeness of him and his smell.

"Rudy?" She asked again.

"Yeah?"

"What's your family like?"

Rudy was caught so off guard by the question. "Uh—well, French, like your mother. I recognize her, I know the names of her sisters. Part of pureblood culture to know everybody, I guess. We're just like them; normal, garden-variety purebloods," he finished.

"Do you really believe you-know-who? Do you really take him seriously, him and his Death Eaters?"

Rudy paused. What on earth was on her mind that she was asking such personal questions? "Well," he said, and paused again. He was so tense. Didn't she understand that these questions were unanswerable? Not allowed? "The Dark Lord-"

"Why do you call him that," she snapped suddenly, "Dark Lord?"

Rudy paused. "You know, I've never actually met him. It's not like we're on a first-name basis, or anything."

He smiled, and Aurora exhaled and leaned back against him, letting the matter drop. Rudy squinted down at the top of her head, and hugged her slightly to pull back his left sleeve. "I'm clean," he said. "Or I'd probably be dead," he added. "How was dinner?"

* * *

Snape watched Aurora walk into Charms and felt his heart both shrink and shudder. She looked perfectly fine—her hair twisted back with a quill holding it in place, and her robes pressed neatly in an attempt to hide their age. But what was more noticeable than her dress, was the glow that she tried to conceal. How could someone who had just been beaten by the likes of Thomas Avery still smile like she was? Surely it had knocked some sense in her?

He turned in his spot and glanced at the door where he saw Rudy leaving; no doubt he had walked her to class again. Snape gritted teeth. Had she learned _nothing_? Was she really stupid enough to stay with him when her life was in obvious jeopardy over the arrangement?

_Must like him a lot to risk it_, he thought. _And there would be no threat if not for you and Bella arranging it…_

That wasn't true. Even before he and Bella had set up Avery, the whole school was plotting. Everywhere Aurora went there were whispers and jeers; surely they were not the only ones who wanted to see them separated. Others did too, they had just been the first to put it into motion…right?

He watched her sit towards the back, at a table by herself and immediately the charms book came out and he lost her face behind it. He knew that little habit of hers well. She often hid behind books when she didn't feel like talking, or when she wished to remain unseen. And then his eyes caught sight of her new book-bag and he wondered where she had gotten the money to replace the old one…

_You know where._

"Miss Sinistra," Adisa's voice shook everyone as she bounded out from behind her desk. "Good to have you back! I was asked to return this to you."

She floated up to hiding Aurora, who took her wand with a surprised, if appreciative little smile, and then immediately went back to hiding. Adisa continued to smile at her a second longer, as if expecting something more, and then left her to go back to the front of the class room. Everyone knew Aurora was one of her favorite students. She hardly ever knocked points off her projects, and even though they were often well done, Snape knew they were anything but perfect. It annoyed him at times; he was the better wizard, but she got all the credit for it. Leave it to the Head of Ravenclaw to bias her own student.

"Squibspawn, squibspawn, gimme a dagger do. I would rather kill myself than screw with the likes of you…"

Snape's glare snapped over at the boy who had turned around to sing his little tune to Aurora under his breath. Adisa had not heard; she was too busy watching the chalk magically scratch itself onto the chalkboard. Aurora's face was flushed but she said nothing to the boy who so cockily high-fived his buddy sitting next to him.

"Hey tower-rat? What do you get when you breed a unicorn with a squib? A horny squibspawn!"

This got a few more laughs and still Aurora refused to acknowledge them, but Snape saw one of her hands grip her wand tighter. He knew if they took another shot, she would end their taunts quickly. She was known for her nonverbal magic, but what did purebloods care? They were dabbling in dangerous territory and Snape was reluctant to see her attack; it would only mean more detention.

The two boys were foolishly relentless. "Hey! Hey! You should get beat up by a pureblood more often! It looks good on you…"

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Snape yelled over at them, getting everyone's attention, including Professor Adisa and Aurora. "If you have a problem being quiet, I have no problem slipping you something that will ensure your _permanent_ silence."

Adisa glanced between the four students, and then said to the two boys, "You can stay after class to make up for the time wasted right now. Now please turn to page…"

Aurora smiled sheepishly, but gratefully, at Snape and he smiled back…with a very, very large pit in his stomach. The guilt was eating him alive. When she looked at him like that, when she smiled… Damn her. Damn her and those blue eyes that he could see twinkle from this distance and that smile that said more words than an entire textbook, eyes that spoke like Lily's did. No wonder Rudy had kept her. Surely he had noticed her eyes as well. Snape grumbled under his breath and flipped open the page. It was her fault for being so endearing, tempting little… he couldn't bring himself to call her whore in his head. She was too like a fairy for that, too gentle, too beautiful. _A fairy, _Snape thought to himself. _A tease. Tempting little tease. _But the words were like ash in his mouth, bitter and untrue, and he knew he didn't believe them.

* * *

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	16. French Toast

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 16

* * *

"Aurora, quick!" Cissy waved her over and grabbed her arm. The hallways were crowded and busy with the bustling of students as classes finished up for the day and most headed towards the Great Hall to eat. Aurora had been waiting for Rudy, but Cissy and a few other girls she recognized had come scooting down at such a pace that she thought they were being chased.

"What's going on?" She asked as Cissy hauled her down the hall after the other girls.

"Durmstrang is here!" She squealed. "FINALLY!"

The news fell on the hall amidst gasps and squeals, and the tide of students turned away from the Great Hall and towards the front steps.

"I think you've mistaken the Triwizard Tournament for some sort of Dating Tournament…and I thought you had your eyes set on some Slytherin?" Aurora latched onto the strap of Cissy's purse to keep ahold of her amidst the crowd.

"Oh Aurora," Cissy dismissed her comments. "You just don't understand."

"Apparently not!" Aurora was clueless, truly. In her opinion, most Durmstrangs looked like giant grizzly bears. It was common in France to mock their rugged and rather unruly appearance. Aurora was more excited to see the girls from Beauxbatons. They would at least be able to tell her of affairs in France and speak in her native tongue with her.

As they moved out the doors of the Entrance Hall, Cissy moved right to the front row of the most nervous students and immediately began posturing in an effort to get the most attention. Aurora looked around for the French carriage but it had not yet arrived. All that was to be marveled at was the large ship docking and unloading boy after boy, dressed in overkill, matted fur coats. The coats came off quickly, revealing fine maroon garbs, but the impression of a bear wasn't gone with the fur. Aurora wrinkled her nose. It was apparent, however, she was the only one who thought so. For most of the girls from Hogwarts had accumulated around the yard to greet and ogle them. She thought they looked ridiculous; fixing their hair, straightening their robes, grinning and posing like some Greek statues.

"Circe and Merlin, all those men cooped up without girls! I bet they're starving." Cissy looked down at herself and started fidgeting again.

"Cissy, you look fine," Aurora said, as she watched Cissy adjust her shirt for the fifth time.

"Aurora…"Cissy huffed, throwing her hair over her shoulders. "You're no fun now that you're taken!"

"I was no fun before that either!" Aurora laughed, just as the group started marching into the castle.

She watched them quietly, her arms folded and her mind wandering elsewhere. She wondered if Rudy had come looking for her but had missed her due to Cissy—she'd just have to apologize. She wondered what pages she was supposed to read for Herbology (she really hadn't been paying attention, since the plant she was dealing with had attached to her robe and wasn't letting go)…she thought of Snape standing up for her in Potions and smiled…

One of the Durmstrang boys, scanning the litter of girls all swooning and flashing flirty smiles, mistook her thoughtful smile as a smile at him and he paused to incline his head in her direction. She would've missed it entirely had Cissy not started tugging at her arm.

"Did you see? Oh Aurora, did you see him? He bowed to you!"

"Oh, no I didn't. I must have missed—"

"Stop stealing all the attention, you already have Rudy!"

Aurora blinked. How silly to be scolded for something like this, she thought. She had been merely thinking back on her day and had failed to notice the procession all together. But for the rest of the parade Cissy didn't let the matter drop. Whenever a girl would mention getting the attention of one of the Durmstrang boys, Cissy was quick to add that Aurora had received a bow from one as well. Aurora just shook her head and continued to watch silently, scanning the larger than usual crowd for the only man she cared about.

* * *

Rudy was thinking himself about how he was going to apologize to Aurora. He'd been detained by his head of house after class, a condition that was steadily worsening the longer he remained in Slughorn's sumptuous office.

"I won't hear of you passing this opportunity by. How tall are you?" Greg looked as though he might burst out laughing any moment. He and a few other students were standing by, taking care of House business as per the usual. They wanted Rudy to help escort the Beauxbatons girls into the Great Hall when their carriage arrived, and Rudy was ready to turn them all down, no matter how bad it would look. Greg needed to have his joke shoved in his face, and Rudy wanted to sit with Aurora for dinner. And try to talk Rabastan out of committing to something he couldn't avoid.

"It doesn't matter how tall I am, Professor, I already have a dinner date for the evening."

"I know, but we're short on gentlemen." There was an uncomfortable pause. "I expect you to serve your house, Rudy, given the amount of disgrace you've showed it lately. Slytherin House needs your assistance, and you will give it. Now, I will ask again, and give you the opportunity to honorably aid us. We are short on gentlemen—"

"No you're not! You're just short on taller ones!"

Greg Nott threw his face into his shoulder to keep from laughing aloud.

"Exactly. Please, it's only a short walk. I'll make you before I beg."

Rudy sighed and stared at Professor Slughorn as he pleaded, ran his eyes mutinously over the other boys.

"Fine, fine," Rudy finally grumbled, throwing his robe aside, and reluctantly began to tuck in his shirt and unroll his sleeves.

"Excellent, Rudy, I assure you it is quite an advantage to have a network across international magical communities; you must remember, these young ladies will be your peers in the years to come, perhaps your in-laws… do send your dinner order down to the kitchens with Mr. Nott, won't you?"

"What do you mean, din—"

"Chicken or beef?"

Rudy rolled his eyes. "Salad."

* * *

Undoubtedly, in their pale blue skirts and jackets, the ladies of Beauxbatons Magical Academy were all effortlessly beautiful. It seemed as though they were more elegant than the young women of Hogwarts; they walked taller, spoke clearer, batted their eyes with more shy, flirtatious precision, as if they had been engineered to take the breath from young gentlemen.

The upperclassmen of Hogwarts School waited on the stairs, fidgeting with their clothing and hair and wishing they had worn coats they could remove to drape chivalrously around the ladies' shoulders when they emerged from their opulent carriage. Rudy crossed his arms over his chest and drummed the fingers of his right hand on his bicep. He had been at Hogwarts the last time the Beauxbatons carriage had come. He had been so enamored with the girls… sworn that one day, he was going to marry a Beauxbatons graduate, just to be able to run his fingers through the straight hair and watch as she stripped off that incredible little uniform...

Now, he was older, he was dating, and he was just bored. And slightly chilled. The carriage, as always, was fashionably late. He did not care who got off of it. He wanted to be in the dining hall making fun of all the Hogwarts students besotted with the novelty of international visitors. He wanted to be talking about who was going to be champion for the school, trying very hard not to brag about Rabastan; he wanted to be bantering about what Aurora saw patterned in the stars to bias Ravenclaw, and what Rudy knew instinctively as a pureblood wizard that biased Slytherin House.

The carriage had landed. Madame Maxime had emerged, tall and ferociously fat, brimming with opals and silk… but somehow, she was still sumptuous and refined. She took Headmaster Dumbledore's proffered hand and spoke with him a moment in French. They strode up towards the castle, and into the Entrance Hall, and there was the head of Ravenclaw, directing the prefect to the carriage door.

The first girl to emerge was stunning. Rudy didn't feel bad staring, because she looked like Aurora; he briefly wondered if they were cousins, and how closely related, and made a note to ask her about it later. She took the arm of the Ravenclaw, who smiled suavely at her, and guided her up towards the school.

The second girl was also blonde, but much less pretty for the shrewdness in her face. Greg Nott took her arm, and led her away. They had planned this, Rudy thought. They come out in order of importance and personality, and that is why the boys had lined up like this, in order of height but cleverly patterned.

He rolled his eyes again. How stupid, he thought. Narcissa Black had something to do with this. _Leave it to the damn girls to care about who escorts you into the dining hall._ He'd find out why Greg was in league with her later.

Rudy was near the middle of the line, and when the Professor Adisa pointed out the step to Rudy and directed him forward, another girl emerged from the carriage, and squealed loudly.

"RODOLPHUS LESTRANGE! I knew you would be here, but I did not expect to see you so quickly!"

Rudy cursed aloud, an expression of horror and disgust slamming across his face for a clear instant before he turned it into a suave smile. Several of the other Slytherins remaining in line laughed. Adisa shot them all a look that quieted them instantly.

"You are surprised to see me, my dearest Rudy…"

"Antoinette Fortfleuve," announced Adisa, and she latched onto Rudy's arm and drug him into the castle. Antoinette was a very blonde, very busty girl with eyes and lips that might have been too big on any other woman. Her smile revealed straight teeth; the curtain of her hair was soft and thick, and Rudy was repulsed by every single strand of it.

Greg Nott was sitting at the head of Slytherin table, just near to the door. Rudy could see him snickering into his food. He caught Greg's eye furiously. "I—am—going—to—kill—you—" Rudy mouthed, as Antoinette continued to jabber on about her latest trip to Paris and how the skill of the stylists there simply exceeded that of anyone else the globe over, how they had changed the angle of the who-cares-what—

Headmaster Dumbledore announced Antoinette, and she strode purposefully into the room, taking long strides with her long, shapely legs. "Rudy," she said with a laugh out of the corner of her mouth, "you are becoming too English… step more lightly, won't you?"

Rudy looked around helplessly for Aurora.

When he found her eyes, she could no longer hold back the laugh, and Rudy glared playfully at her as he was dragged to the Slytherin table to be seated near students from Durmstrang, and his own school.

"So," asked Greg, sidling his date to Rudy's end of the table, "How long as it been since I've seen you, Antoinette?"

"Oh, it must have been at the Lestrange Estate—Rudy's mother threw the most excellent garden party…" She turned to Rudy and blushed.

Rudy scowled ferociously at Greg.

"Oh yes," said Greg, a smile on his face, "I had forgotten! Was that the last time you saw Rudy, then?"

"Unfortunately," she said with a smile and a pull at Rudy's shirtsleeve, pouting. "Rudy was not available when my parents hosted a ball later that summer. His younger brother attended, though he is far less charming than our dear Rudy." Antoinette grinned slavishly up at her escort.

"I was hoping he would show me as pleasant an evening as he did at his own home…"

"Yes, well, I was unfortunately with my Aunt Jeorga at the time," said Rudy quickly, tugging his arm free to pull some more of the treacle tart towards him.

Greg smirked and deliberately turned his back on the conversation to place an arm around the waist of his date, and feed her a bite of pumpkin pie.

Rudy was livid. Now the only thing Antoinette would want to talk about was why she and Rudy were not together, why they had not been promised to each other already, why he did not come to France… honestly! She'd be beautiful if she'd keep her mouth shut—or at least stayed quiet, if she insisted on smiling. All it takes is a few glasses of mead to turn a crazy girl sane, and dislodge a discerning tongue from safety inside its own mouth. He'd never drink to excess again. Swore it three more times inside his own head, and then crossed himself for good measure, praying Circe's protection from the troll.

Antoinette purred and interrupted the gesture, sliding her arms around Rudy, scratching his stomach suggestively. "Perhaps I will be able to meet you later tonight?"

Rudy gently pushed her arms away. "I'm afraid Hogwarts doesn't allow student liaisons in the middle of the night, Antoinette."

"Aw, Rudy." She poked him, pouting again. "Since when were you one to care for the rules?"

Again, that predatory giggle.

* * *

Aurora watched from the other end of the Ravenclaw table as the girl Rudy had escorted in was shamelessly throwing herself all over him. She had laughed at him at first, ignored the bouncy blonde and continued eating while Cissy bugged her about the Durmstrang who had paid her a nod. Cissy had decided to remain attached to her for the rest of the night, in case the Durmstrang somehow developed a twin, or at least a friend half as handsome. But the fun was wearing thin; Cissy was getting on her nerves, and as she finished her meal and was left with nothing to do BUT watch Rudy, the girl started grinding her nerves as well. Who was so shallow so as to flirt like that? It was obnoxious to watch and it was obvious by the way Rudy kept pushing her off he was just as annoyed as Aurora was. If only that twat knew she was being watched by a very feisty girlfriend, she would not be acting so…

"Aurora!"

She turned to Cissy who looked exasperated. "Hmm?"

"Did you listen to a thing I said?"

She shook her head with a sheepish grin.

Cissy threw her hands in the air, as if Aurora was the most helpless case she had come across. "I said…that Durmstrang boy he's—"

"Yes, I know. He nodded at me. Great. Move on." Aurora turned her eyes back to Rudy and stabbed angrily at something on her plate.

"No! He's right there! Look, he's smiling at you again!"

Cissy pointed to two tables over, kitty-corner from where they were eating, and sure enough, the grizzly, big Durmstrang was smiling in her direction. Aurora gave him a fleeting smile back then turned away again.

"He's cute," Cissy sighed.

"He looks like a bear," Aurora countered. "Imagine kissing that."

"Don't mind if I do."

Aurora laughed and shook her head. Ms. Bouncy Blonde was on Rudy again. Aurora dropped her fork and reached for her glass, glaring daggers across the table.

"Looks like Rudy's found himself a leech…" Cissy giggled, noticing the same thing Aurora had been watching. "Are you going to go set her straight?"

Aurora answered tightly, "I don't see why not."

With that she stood, straightened out her robes, and strode purposefully over to Rudy and his busty Beauxbaton.

"Rudy, there you are," Aurora said pleasantly, resting a hand on his shoulder as she stood behind and between he and the Beauxbaton. "I was wondering where you had gone to. Oh!" She feigned surprise, as if seeing the girl for the first time. "Me pardonner, je ne croient pas que nous nous sommes réunis. Mon nom est Aurora. Vous êtes?" _(Pardon me, I do not believe we have met. My name is Aurora. You are?)_

She extended her hand to the girl who looked shocked that not only was she was touching Rudy, but she was speaking fluent French despite her British English.

"Antoinette, heureuse vous rencontrer. Vous êtes français, non?" _(Antoinette. Pleased to meet you. You are French, no?)_

Aurora nodded, and Rudy watched in stunned silence as the two conversed, unable to catch a word of what they were saying.

Aurora leveled her gaze at the girl, shaking her hand harder than necessary. "Ma mère était un Bruseau. Je suis sûr que vous avez rencontré quelques uns de mes parents." _(My mother was a Bruseau. I am sure you have met a few of my relatives.)_

The girl's eyes widened and she nodded vigorously.

"Oui ! J'ai ! Beaucoup vont à l'école de Beauxbatons… mais ne faites-vous pas ?" _(Yes! I have! Many attend the Beauxbatons school...but you do not?)_

Aurora shook her head. "Pas, Hogwarts m'adapte à améliorer. Je vous vois avoir rencontré mon ami, Rodolphus?" _(No, Hogwarts suits me better. I see you have met my boyfriend, Rodolphus?)_

Aurora watched Antoinette glance between her and Rudy with ever-growing eyes, and she seemed at a loss for words. Rudy, too, was looking curiously at Aurora now that his name had been brought up, and despite the language barrier he had a pretty good idea what had just been established between the three of them.

Aurora broke the awkward silence by adding smoothly, "Rudy, you couldn't introduce me to your little friend here? How do you know each other?"

Now it was Rudy's turn to search for words, and he avoided glancing at Antoinette who watched him carefully. Aurora, however, was unwavering and her overly sincere grin caused Rudy a great deal of pain. He mouthed a fish out of water for a minute, and then swallowed hard before answering.

"Erm…my mother, and her mother…they were…well…" He blushed and looked down at his hands awkwardly. Then quickly under his breath he corrected, "She got me drunk at a garden party and snogged me."

Aurora raised an eyebrow, paused, and laughed. Antoinette however, looked slightly appalled.

"Je? Je ne vous ai pas obtenu ivre, Rodolphus Lestrange. Vous déjà étiez ivres et m'avez embrassé vous-même et volontairement je pourrais ajouter !" She exclaimed to Aurora's greater amusement.

Rudy dared to glance up. "…what did she say?"

Aurora attempted to explain between her fits of laughter. "She said you were already drunk and snogged her willingly…you cad."

Rudy glared at Antoinette, who glared back. "She's the one who took the alcohol."

"For YOU!" Antoinette came back smartly. "And don't act so appalled, you know you like the benefits of being drunk with me."

"Well we needn't worry about that happening again, do we Rudy?" Aurora warned him subtly, with a very pointed look.

Rudy glanced between the two women, each eying him like a hawk, and his attempt at a suave smile came off more as a grimace. "I no longer need to be drunk to work up the courage to snog very pretty girls, that is true." Rudy stood. "Please, Aurora, I insist you take my seat."

Aurora scoffed and pushed him back in his seat forcefully.

"Actually, Rudy, I was about to come and ask for your arm. There are a few gentlemen from Durmstrang that I thought you should meet, though upon consideration, I will go by myself. Bonsoir, Antoinette… Il faisait beau de vous recontrer…"

Aurora turned on her heel and made a beeline for the overlarge Durmstrang that had been ogling her.

"Please, Aurora, allow me to accompany you. Excuse me, Antoinette…"

Rudy hurried off after Aurora, and when he finally caught up with her long legs and took her arm, she jerked it away again. Her glare was as sharp as daggers and he froze in alarm. "You don't need to be drunk? You'd snog her again? Rudy, she's foul—_petite pute…_"

Rudy took a careful step backward. "I was trying to be diplomatic…"

Aurora heard none of his apology. "And YOU—trying to use me as an excuse to get out of your dinner date—_I_ am supposed to be your dinner date—I am _not_ your lame excuse, and I will _not_ be made to sit with _them_, _alone_, while you go and laugh your ass off with Greg Nott! I will not have it, Rudy—I am not like every other French poodle that comes trotting out of Beauxbaton, ready to perform tricks as wished—"

"It was nothing, Aurora, it was careless, I didn't mean it—"

Aurora was acidly dripping French, which worried Rudy more than anything. He did not catch any of her meaning, except anger. She was _angry_ at him, and he did not know why!

"Aurora, I've been trying to lose her all night! She's disgusting, a nasty little man-eater...VULTURE…"

Rudy reached out to take Aurora's hands, but she slapped them carelessly away.

"You aren't listening! I am not talking about her, I am talking about YOU, Rudy, and the way you treat ME—"

"I'm sorry," Rudy shot in as Aurora drew breath. "Whatever I said, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"Mean it? MEAN IT? Of course you _meant_ it…"

Rudy lost her to French again. "Aura…"

"DON'T you go calling me that—"

Rudy tried again. "Starshine," Rudy said gently, attempting to diffuse the shrillness in Aurora's voice.

Aurora swelled with anger, reached up and slapped him, and stalked out of the Great Hall.

"No wonder she prefers Hogwarts," Antoinette purred behind Rudy. "She is so uncouth. Come back and sit with me. We will have a coffee, yes?"

* * *

Coffee was not served at the Hogwarts table, and Antoinette was appalled. She was appalled that there was no elf-made wine to accompany the meal, and listed some of her favorites; asking Rudy which he favored, asking what he might have preferred to have been doing to erase the memory of such a mediocre meal from his mind. He grew more surly and evasive as the evening continued, and sent an acid thanks to Circe when Dumbledore rose and began speaking about the tournament.

The speech was perfunctory; many of the students knew the rules and the people involved already. Yes, that was Madame Maxime; Yes, that was Professor Karkaroff. Rudy had met the man before, and found him both unacceptably harsh and foolish. He needed a woman and a son instead of a school, but he supposed there were places for everyone in the world. A school full of sons, his father had countered, and Rudy grudgingly admitted that was something after all.

Dumbledore was addressing the new students now; speaking to them about Hogwarts and Hogwarts history; bragging on his own school's record in the way that it was expected. He listed the houses, explained what a champion from each might have been like. Rudy chortled with the rest at the idea of a Hufflepuff champion, bristled at the thought of a Gryffindor representative; remembered Michael Chang's braid and Sharif's stutter, thinking of Ravenclaw, and felt rocks drop into his stomach at the mention of his own house. Rudy shot his gaze towards his brother, admonishing and harsh, and saw one of his classmates clap a hand on his back. Rabastan's face flushed with smug pride. Fists pounded the table to the rhythm of his name, until utensils and cups were shaking. Antoinette sniffed and clamped a hand over her water glass. Dumbledore paused, a mild, unbelievable cheer sounded for Rabastan, more hands reaching out to touch him, but then the table quieted. Rudy was stunned at his House's reaction. It was as if the boy's name had already been spat out of the Goblet!

Instead of looking at Rudy, Rabastan turned his gaze back to Dumbledore as the Headmaster began speaking again. Rudy cursed under his breath and prayed that Rabastan really did have his name spat out, or that the gossip chains remained remarkably inefficient at carrying secrets to his father's ear. Rabastan a braggart—who would have thought—Antoinette hanging off of his arm, Circe protect him—and Aurora angry. Rudy was altogether displeased that the Tournament had arrived at Hogwarts.

* * *

It was late before Rudy was able to catch Cissy's arm on her way out of the Ravenclaw common room, but he had been willing to stand next to the door for a long time before he had even gone. He couldn't allow Aurora to go to bed angry with him. He wouldn't sleep. Would she?

His palms were sweating again, as Cissy turned around and ascended the stairs with a sneer on her face. Apparently, however much she was willing to intercede for him, Aurora had swayed her to his opinion. He needed her to come down, he needed her to know that he was innocent of whatever she thought of him. He didn't want to treat her like a poodle, or snog any other girl in this school or any other. Hadn't he made that clear by taking such a risk?

"Rudy says that you might have been right about Chang after all," Cissy said carefully, sitting down on the edge of Aurora's bed and laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. "He says Orion has been aiming his arrows at Chang lately, and maybe there will be a Ravenclaw champion in the end."

Aurora neither moved nor spoke.

"He's distraught, you know. I don't really care if you make up- It's gorgeous on him."

"I am not fodder for your gossip chain, Cissy…"

"And I do not use the private business of my best friends as gossip," Cissy said.

"He snogged that _poodle…_" Aurora spat into her pillow

Cissy giggled. "They still tease him about that. He is still so embarrassed, and she is still so proud."

"And he tried to pass me off on her like some… some…"

"Somebody who, perhaps, could set her straight, if he could not?"

Aurora paused and stared into her pillow. She hadn't thought about it that way before.

"Go to him," Cissy said. "He's been down there for an hour and a half, and though he is cute when he is so worried, it is more romantic to forgive him. I am sure he didn't mean you any harm or disservice."

"I am not his servant, Cissy—"

"No," Cissy said. "He is yours, I think." Cissy patted Aurora's shoulder, and smiled. If she knew Aurora, she had convinced her to come down. "Do what you will, Aura."

Cissy rose and caught sight of herself in a mirror. "It's going to take me forever to get these Circe-cursed pins out of my hair, and they didn't even do me any good. All the Durmstrangs were staring at Beauxbatons, and you."

When she turned around, Aurora had gone. Cissy smirked to herself, and fiddled with her hair another moment before she snuck down the staircase behind her friend.

* * *

Aurora stalked down the stairs and through the common room. She had nothing to say to him; he had proven once again that he was her boyfriend when no one else was around but the minute they were public, she was just his pet. How humiliating! How belittling! Now every French floozy and grizzly bear would know she was nothing more than a snog…

_Isn't that what Avery told you? Rudy wants you for the snog, the shag, and nothing more…_

Aurora halted suddenly, a slowly mounting terror creeping through her as she thought back on the encounter with Avery. He had called it after all; warned her about what she was good for. And Rudy was certainly not disappointing. _'I don't have to be drunk…'_ No he didn't because Aurora was stupid enough to let him snog her whenever he so pleased and didn't even call him out on his behavior in public. Maybe it was true; maybe she had been so foolishly blinded by love this whole time.

"Love…or lust," Aurora huffed, straightening her posture again and escaping through the door.

She glanced about for Rudy but did not see him, so she debated where he would've gone. She figured it would be one of two places—the astronomy tower or the attic in the library. Being closest to the tower, she made her way there first, her bare feet padding silently on the stone floor and her hair lazily undone; she had been ready to crash for the night, had her anger not kept her awake fuming. When she got to the Astronomy tower she had a fleeting moment of wishing she had remembered her robe, but decided it was too late to turn around now. Pushing the door open, a gust of cold wind swept around her and made her shiver, but the sight of the clear stars in a crisp black sky made her smile slightly.

A quick scan of the tower revealed no one…but then she spotted a body opposite her in the far corner. _How odd_, she thought, _what was he doing all the way over there?_

Quickening her pace she scurried over to his looming form, but then slowed when she got but a few feet away. There was another person wrapped up in his arms and by the sounds of it, they were quite occupied.

"…Rudy?"

The boy spun around and the girl yelped, pulling down her shirt to salvage some decency. But on second glance, Aurora realized this boy was far too large and grizzly to be Rudy, and when he regarded her with "Rudy? No…" she recognized the blatant Durmstrang accent.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, embarrassed that she had intruded upon them. "I-I'm sorry! I thought you were someone else…excuse me…"

She had just turned to leave when the boy called after her, "Wait!" She turned back around and looked stupidly at him.

"Yes?"

"What is your hurry?" He stepped forward and Aurora suddenly recognized him. It was Mister Smiley himself, who had been ogling her since he first arrived. The girl, she didn't recognize. "We can share, yes?"

Aurora blinked at him, his hand outstretched to her, and she was torn between blushing and laughing. So she did a bit of both.

"Erm…uh…you know, that's okay…you two have fun…"

Before he could protest, she jogged back to the door and shut it quickly behind her. The laughter could not be held and she didn't care if they heard her.

"We can SHARE?" She doubled over on the stairs and braced on hand against the wall as she made her way slowly down. How conceited could he be? Aurora was convinced it was the funniest thing to happen to her in a long time…

_Shame, too, that he was such a man-whore. _

"What a waste," She concluded, laughing all the way to the library attic.

When she knocked on the door, she swallowed her laughter and wiped at her eyes, remembering what it was she had come here for in the first place. She was not supposed to be laughing; she was supposed to be mad at Rudy for treating her like his private snog. A friend with benefits. A French Pomeranian poodle she was not. A pause, and Rudy opened the door and smiled warily when he saw Aurora standing there.

"Hey…" He let her in with an awkward hand scratching at his neck.

"Hey."

He took a deep breath as she moved past him into the small, private room and locked the door behind her. The minute her vanilla perfume wafted over him, his stomach sank. Truthfully, Rudy had no idea why she was angry with him, and as she found a spot next to the window to stand and glare at him, he approached her with slow, shuffling steps that humbled his large appearance.

"…I tried to meet you in the tower, but it was already occupied…"

"I know. I thought he was you…" Aurora snickered despite herself, the whole situation still hilarious to her. "He said he could be shared."

More laughing and Rudy thought for a brief moment he was off the hook.

"Do I need to go set him straight?" He asked softly, but Aurora raised an eyebrow and her laughter died.

"Not at all," She said sarcastically. "I thought we were all for sharing our snog buddies? Since you have no quarrels snogging other girls with or without alcohol…"

"Aurora, I said I was sorry!" Rudy cut in under her fierce glare. "I didn't mean it like that—you know I think more of you than a snog buddy."

"Oh really?" Aurora spat. "That's why whenever we're in public are you so hesitant to admit we're together? That the minute an old girlfriend walks through the door you pretend I'm nothing more than your own personal whore?"

"She was not my girlfriend, Aurora…"

"Oh, so she was the personal whore before me? Good to know. We have something in common—you snogged the both of us, but publicly deny it. Thanks Rudy. It seems so much clearer now."

Rudy paused—how was he supposed to counter that? He knew it wasn't true, at least not for Aurora, but she looked livid. Was there any escaping this grave; a grave he hadn't even meant to dig?

Quietly he took a step forward, looking her in the eye, "Aurora, you are not my personal whore, or my snog buddy. You are my girlfriend…I thought taking such a risk to be with you would've proven that I think more of you than just someone to satisfy my personal pleasures…"

Aurora threw her hands in the air and started pacing. "Vous dites cela maintenant ! Mais la minute où nous venons à bout vos amis ou famille ou n'importe qui vous associez à, je ne suis rien mais un carniche français que vous avez sur une laisse courte ! Combien de fois me viderez-vous sur d'autres personnes? Combien de fois refuserez-vous à notre rapport? Combien de temps devons-nous cacher ceci, Rudy? Je vous donne tout que j'ai, mon coeur et âme entiers, et en échange j'obtiens seulement embrassé. Queest-ce que je dois faire pour vous obliger à me reconnaître en tant que votre égale? Est-ce même possible? Je ne peux pas changer mon sang, mais j'ai pensé que nous étions terminés cela de toute façon! Ce qui Que l'enfer sanglant suis- moi a-t-il supposé pour faire?"

She seethed a moment and eyed him dangerously, using the lapse to catch her breath. Rudy stared at her, utterly dumbfounded, and searched for words to calm her even though he had failed to understand a single word thrown at him.

"..._what? _Look, if you're going to be angry, at least be angry in a language I understand!"

Aurora tapped her foot impatiently. "We have a saying in French_. 'Pour croire une chose impossible est de la faire ainsi_.' It means 'to believe a thing impossible is to make it so.' If you are so convinced this is impossible, that WE are impossible, then why am I giving you my everything? Why are you letting me? What's more, Rudy, why have I only gotten half of you?"

"Half? What are you talking about half? Look at where we are! Do you think anybody else has been up here at the same time I have? Do you think anybody else has been up here in ages?"

He gestured around the room, all the dust and clutter and forgotten boxes. The litter of Rudy's crumpled pages was everywhere. Not even Madame Pince penetrated this far into the library to clean and organize. "Nobody else knows I come up here. Nobody else knows what I keep in my journals up here. There are boxes and boxes of them—and YOU are the only one that has ever seen the inside covers except me. This is the secret half that nobody knows about, Aurora—"

"I don't want to be a secret too, Rudy! I don't want to be something to keep in a box in this attic!"

"I never asked you to be!"

"No. Instead I'm your trained pony, taking over conversations that you don't want to have."

How she stared at him! Her scorn was like acid, stinging him as he tried to think. He hadn't asked her to do that, had he? He struggled to remember the moments before she had stormed off, but his brain was like lead; heavy and impenetrable. He could not read himself to see what she found so distasteful.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice cracking slightly.

"Do you believe this relationship is impossible?"

"No, it's working right now—" Rudy was stammering and pale. He didn't know what she was going to say, or what was coming, or how he was going to answer any of the questions. Could he be making her angrier?

"Then Rudy, as long as we are in a relationship, I expect you to respect that. I am not some easy fix to be dumped on old girlfriends—"

"—she was never my girlfriend, EVER—"

"I am not some secret to be hidden away in the attic—"

"I'm not hiding anything!"

"And I am not here to be some easy shag like every other girl in this school or any other."

Rudy stared at Aurora as she flushed with those words, embarrassed but so determined to say what had just come out of her mouth. He was almost offended that she could think something like that of him, but he was worried she was thinking it. He thought he knew her better than that. "If I wanted an easy shag, I would have shagged a girl that was easy to catch. Instead, I stopped to talk to you… and got to know you… and I am going steady with YOU because you are fascinating in a way that nobody else I know is. Antoinette was an annoyance. Is an annoyance. Enough to not even be worth the shag." Aurora flinched at the word, as if she hated the thought that men used women at all, and an idea dawned on Rudy. "Did he say that? That I was only here to shag you?"

Aurora paled slightly, her blush lighter and tinged with green. Such shame on her face, recalling Avery's attack. She nodded at him slowly, her eyes welling up.

And so that was the problem, Rudy thought to himself. No wonder Aurora was so disturbed by the thought that Rudy would treat her or Antoinette as something other than a girlfriend. Rudy instinctively stepped forward and set his hands on her shoulders, staring into her face. "Aurora Sinistra, I swear to you on my life and my name, I think more of you than kisses, and more of you than snogs, and more of you than Thomas Avery does. I love the way you don't always look at me when I speak, like what I'm saying is more important than my face; I love the way you can look at me when I'm not saying anything and know what I'm thinking… you listen to me. You listen to every inch of me, and I love that. I love the way you talk about Astronomy, and I love the way you turn your face up to the moon, and I love the way you smirk and smile and…to me, you are the perfect womanhood that all the poets pine after. A radiant, perfect dream. I love you."

_Love._ How many times had he said it? _You have a mudblood upstairs, Rudy… she loves you, did you hear? _The echo of his own thoughts came back to him. _You love her too, don't you… _the thoughts he had tried to keep himself from thinking…

"I love you," he repeated forcefully, to make sure she knew he had meant to say it. He wrapped her in his arms tightly and rocked her there, pressed his cheek into her hair and felt her clutch his shirt.

Aurora picked her face up, the tears so recently near to spilling utterly evaporated. She stared into Rudy's eyes; Rudy who seemed almost winded by what he'd said, but so… _free_… for once he wasn't thinking about every word. For once, he was just talking to her, like she just talked to him.

She cupped his face and reached to his mouth. She had to have him kiss her. She needed his kiss. She needed to feel that conviction and share it with him, to be lost in it and overjoyed and it was spilling out of her mouth and into his…

Rudy's face lit up with happiness as she reached for him, and he kissed her deeply, laughing into her mouth. "I love you…"

Aurora did not know how long they kissed, but the echo of the words stuck in her ears. When they finally broke apart, beaming at each other, it was Aurora who spoke: "You do love me," she said, grinning. "Now I know."

* * *

_Poetic excerpts in this chapter were paraphrased from an untitled ode written by Alexsander Pushkin in 1825. The poem in its entirety can be read on our profile page, along with our dedicated reviewer responses. _

_P.S. If you speak French, know that we do not. And there are bound to be errors due to that fact. Please forgive us, correct us, and laugh with us. :)_


	17. Never Have I Ever

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 17

* * *

Aurora sneezed. The dust from the attic had settled on them overnight, for they had fallen asleep wrapped in each other's arms, snogging until both were too tired to continue. When she blinked the sleep from her eyes and braced for another sneeze, Aurora was struck with the sudden panic of forgetting where she was. The second sneeze, however, woke Rudy, and reminded her of their otherwise blissful night. He smiled down at her and rubbed the back of his neck, which had been propped oddly against a bookshelf. That was a kink that was going to take some time to work out. Aurora noticed and smiled bashfully up at him; one of his hands still tangled in her hair and her entire person disheveled where she sat on his lap.

"Morning starshine," He said quietly, untangling his fingers from the locks of gold and kissing her cheek and jaw softly.

"Morning Rudy," She purred. How she loved saying his name! When his kisses trailed farther down her neck, Aurora giggled and squirmed against him. "Hey!"

Rudy grinned all the wider and kissed her on the lips, stretching and leaning back in the chair.

"Well this wasn't the most comfortable of places to fall asleep," He observed as she curled back up against his chest.

"Maybe not for you," Aurora giggled again and he wrapped a protective arm around her. "Though I could do without the dust."

Rudy nodded and glanced out the window. The sun was already rising fast above the horizon and the lake shimmered in the distance. What a perfect way to wake up…even if it wasn't comfortable. Aurora craned her neck and kissed his neck softly, bringing a tender smile to his lips. He loved the way she showered him with affection, with her caress and soft kisses. She continued up his neck and around his jaw to his ear, where she brushed her cheek against his scruff and laughed softly. His grin deepened.

"Stop teasing me, Sinistra."

Aurora tugged on his ear playfully and leaned back to look at him with a sly grin.

"Don't call me Sinistra."

He smirked and pulled her to him, snogging her aggressively in the heat of the moment. But she was playing hard to get and attempted to pull away; a gesture that just caused him to attack her neck.

"Rudy!" She whined, pushing lightly against his chest. "What time is it? We have to go to class…"

But he was too busy to listen and she was almost too weak to check.

"I swear to Circe if you leave a hickey…"Aurora warned as she reached over for the watch on his bag. She took one glance at it, and then did a double take.

"RUDY!" She yelped. "It's nearly ten thirty! We're late!"

That stopped Rudy in his tracks. "Are you sure?" He snatched the watch from her and stared at it a moment, one hand still on Aurora's behind, the other white knuckled as the realization sunk in that they had already missed their entire first class and were late for the second.

"Damnit!" He cursed, jumping up as soon as Aurora had left his lap to grab her bag and adjust her clothing.

Rudy fumbled with his tie and tucked his shirt back in, his robe being the last thing he threw over his shoulders as he hurried towards the door. Aurora pinned her hair back half-heartedly and then stopped quite suddenly with a loud gasp.

"Rodolphus Lestrange I should hex you!"

"What'd I do?"

She turned around and pointed at her neck in an almost furious fashion. Rudy blinked and then a cocky grin started spreading its way across his face.

"It suits you," He said stepping forward suavely and kissing her forehead.

"You're a dead man," She retorted, though her smile was hard to hide. "If only we weren't late for class…"

He took her hand and led her out of the attic, and then they both took off jogging through the hallways. A few of the ghosts and portraits yelled at them to slow down, but both just laughed and shrugged them off. At one point, they came across Peeves spraying whipped cream over the bodies of armor in the hallway and they paused in their haste to debate a better way around. The minute Peeves saw them he started at them with the can, but Rudy had learned the tricks of the trade. With a forceful kick, Rudy knocked over a body of armor which fell into the others with a loud crash.

Then, utilizing his most upset voice, Rudy yelled, "PEEVES! STOP KNOCKING OVER THE ARMOR!"

Peeves stopped mid-flight and glared at Rudy. He was going to get caught for sure now, and he knew Dumbledore would not be happy. Rudy pulled Aurora along as they took off again, and along the way he scooped up a finger full of whipped cream and tapped it on her nose. She furrowed her brow and flicked some back at him playfully, then used her sleeve to remove the rest as they ran. When they arrived outside the divination classroom, Aurora pecked Rudy on the cheek and slipped inside. Rudy watched for a second and then took off for his own arithmancy class. As they might have expected, everyone turned to stare at the two late students, and a few even snickered. Their absence had not gone unnoticed.

Aurora sat in the back of her classroom, with her book immediately open. She didn't miss the stern glare Professor Odette was issuing her, and she hid her red face behind the worn pages. No matter how bad the situation looked, she couldn't stop giggling. What a morning! Rudy, likewise, had taken a seat in the corner of the classroom and was overcome with smiling. He kept picturing Aurora's face when she had found the hickey, and he missed the entire lesson thanks to his reoccurring chuckles. Both students were giddy in love and both classrooms watched them intently. Rudy had never been one to act silly and Aurora was never late to class.

* * *

The days slid by in hazes of bliss, marked by the fading and appearance of hickeys and the length of scruff. The weather turned colder; sweater-warmed skin pressed against sweater-warm skin, and firelight was pleasant and always close. To be in such love swept the two of them away into another world.

Aurora walked into the attic from her lecture, shrugged off Rudy and lazily flopped herself onto the makeshift couch and spare pillows they had assembled from magic, grinning. Rudy immediately sank to his knees and stripped off her shoes, throwing it over his shoulder as he gently rolled back her sock and kissed her calf.

Aurora giggled. "You are so _goofy_ some days…"

"I can't help it," Rudy countered, pressing his cheek to her leg. "Your legs are gorgeous..." He ran a hand up her skirt from her knee.

"Could hardly wait, could you?" She teased.

"I'd been thinking about it all day before that."

Aurora stared down at his radiant face, so contentedly resting against her leg, looking up at her with such softness in the brown eyes. He had been so hard and determined earlier! They'd had a guest lecture from one of the Triwizard schools; Aurora didn't even remember which. There was some famous alchemist, she tried to recall, her brow furrowing. Like she could have paid attention, anyway. Rudy had been wholly distracting.

Aurora had already been seated with the other Ravenclaws when Rudy and the remainder of his friends came in. He had sprawled, as was his custom, into a desk chair; one arm thrown over the back, slumped down low. He was so tall he hardly fit, Aurora thought, but with his wand hanging out of his hand like that—with the eyes of everybody in the room watching him as he turned and looked at her—how _attractive_, she thought. He had been born that way.

He caught sight of her and relinquished his bored expression for a smirk. He blatantly let his eyes rake her whole body, and she straightened, teasing him. His smirk had deepened, and then… he tapped his wand in the air and one of her knee-socks shot towards her ankle.

She pulled it back up, embarrassed. Rudy tugged it down again. She glared at him to STOP it and he nudged her skirt above her knee. She tugged it down, and the other sock flew to her foot.

They had played the game throughout the whole lecture. Sometimes Aurora would let the sock stay down; other times she caught it as it threatened to fall, and held it against her knee. Then it had been over, and he caught her as she came out the door, and whispered that he needed her legs…

He kissed her leg again, and then crawled up on their couch-like home beside her, propped up on an elbow and staring into her face.

"I love you," he said. "And your amazing legs."

"I love you when you let go," Aurora said, running a hand affectionately through his hair. "You're so uptight, sometimes, but when you let go and tug on my kneesocks and grin… I love you best."

She tucked herself into his chest, and felt his arms snake around her. How safe they were, up here in their own space with their own selves. It smelled like them.

Rudy kissed her head once, and closed his eyes. Following his suspension, Avery had not chosen to return to Hogwarts. Rumor was that his father had consented to get him a tutor for the year; Rudy doubted it entirely. School was an essential network to play a part in; a social right. But somehow he doubted Avery would like attending another school very much, either. He wondered who had refused Avery's return; his father, or Avery himself. He wondered why, and hoped word would stay mysteriously silent of who outside the school knew of he and Aurora. Right now, for this moment and this day and this week, it seemed that they were so safe and happy. He had been renewed by hope for the better, which had ousted such consistent fear of the worse.

"I love you," Rudy said, leaning down to whisper it in her ear. He gently kissed her there, smoothed back her hair with his fingers, smiling at her closeness. He felt her kiss at his neck, at his jaw…and then, then he felt like he was floating.

* * *

"Check mate."

Aurora squinted at the chessboard, as her king was beat to a pulp by Rudy's queen. He had nearly all his pieces remaining. She was down to four.

"Bloody hell. Again!" She exclaimed throwing her hands into the air and sitting back against the pillows. "I give up!"

"Quitter."

"That's the third game in a row!"

Rudy smirked and gently slid his pieces back into a small leather pouch. "Some people just weren't meant to play wizards chess. It's a good thing you're a good kisser."

"Oh _really_?" Aurora raised an eyebrow to match his smug grin and folded her arms. "Or what? You would break up with me?"

"Nah, I'm just saying you can't be good at everything. Aura."

She hit him over the head with a pillow as he snickered at her complete inability to play a game of chess. They had spent this Saturday surrounded by piles of books, supposedly studying for their week of mid-term quizzes coming up, but the two had gotten bored quickly and had fallen back on wizard's chess and a walk in the autumn chill. Aurora watched Rudy, snug in a black sweater that fit him perfectly with the sleeves pushed up, set the chess board aside and throw the pillow back at her. She replaced it behind her, quite comfortable in her own red sweater knitted by her French Grandmother who had even done her a favor and substituted the lace trim for an attractive v-neck for once. Rudy had noticed and had promptly covered every inch of reachable skin with his scruffy kisses. Aurora didn't mind; she liked the way his chiseled, scruffy face tickled her skin. Besides, it looked good on him.

_What doesn't look good on him_? She wondered, as he grabbed two bottles from his school bag and handed her one with an even more devilish look on his face.

"What's this…butterbeer? Rudy!" Aurora laughed and examined the familiar bottle. "Where did you get this? You know we can't have these here!"

"Who's going to catch us?" He winked and popped the top off of his. "The guys and I are always sneaking them into the castle after trips to Hogsmeade. Helps our flying."

"Right," Aurora shook her head, but smiled sideways at him and twisted the top off her own. "So what's the occasion?"

Rudy shrugged and took a leisure sip, leaning on his elbow. He looked right at home; having a butterbeer, lying next to Aurora, homework and various forms of entertainment surrounding them. She loved their little home. It was quiet, intimate, and completely theirs. No one else was going to touch it and she felt utterly comfortable. There were no stares here; no rumors or sneers. No jeers, snide remarks, or gawks. They could snog, study, or play as much as they wanted without anyone judging them. The school had basically made up its mind on the two of them anyway. Aurora and Rudy were rarely seen outside of class of meals. Even their roommates rarely saw them. They either never came up to sleep, or came up late. Everyone had just assumed the obvious—the two had found somewhere to shag and that's what they were doing. No one argued it, except Rudy and Aurora when they heard such claims, but the school had decided and it was an unspoken agreement among most, despite the young couple's protests.

"No occasion. Just thought you might like something to warm yourself."

Aurora swallowed a small sip. "I already have my sweater and you."

Rudy grinned and swirled the drink around inside the bottle. "…let's play a game."

Aurora settled back. "And what kind of game are you thinking of?"

"Never have I ever," Rudy said. "I'm sure you've played it before."

"Heard of it, never played it," She chuckled at Rudy's surprised look. "Before you, my social life wasn't exactly exciting."

"Alright then, here's how it works…" Rudy proceeded to explain the basic rules of the game. First person admitted something they had never done, and if the other person had done it, they had to take a drink. If they hadn't, they were safe. First person to empty their bottle won. Rudy took his turn first.

"Never have I ever…" His eyes traveled to Aurora's legs propped up next to him and his hand was soon to follow, finding its way inside her jeans to rest on her ankle. "Shaved my legs."

Aurora rolled her eyes and took a sip. "Well if we're going to take cheap shots—never have I ever shaved my face."

Rudy laughed and took a sip. His turn. "Never have I ever…cheated on a test."

"You lie."

"I do not! I know people who have, but never I."

Aurora shrugged. "I haven't either, so there." They both laughed. "Never have I ever lived in one house for more than two years."

Rudy looked up at her in surprise, his one hand still absently running the length of her leg, the other holding his butterbeer. "Really?"

She nodded.

"Wow…" He took a sip. "Never have I ever been to Egypt."

"You should come with me! You'd love the library in Alexandria!" He beamed up at her enthusiasm as she took her sip and pondered her next move.

The game continued in this fashion until both had come to the last few drinks of their butterbeer and were indeed feeling warmer and looking peaky in the cheeks. They were competing now, to see who could come up with the most risqué and outlandish _"never have I evers"_ and their challenges had become a bit absurd.

"Never have I ever snogged a girl!" Aurora giggled and Rudy shook his head.

"You should try it sometime," He laughed and she hit his shoulder playfully. "No really. It'd be hot."

"Oh don't be crude!"

"Never have I ever shagged someone," He said between his sips. Aurora raised both eyebrows.

"Seriously?"

He laughed harder, a few drips of butterbeer escaping his lips and following the curve of his chin. "Seriously!" He used the back of his hand to wipe his face. "I thought it was obvious?"

Aurora shook her head. "Everyone assumes you have. You're Rodolphus Lestrange."

She hunched her shoulders and lowered her voice mockingly when she said his name and he laughed in disbelief at her.

"What was that?" He sat up and faced her, Aurora giggling ridiculously.

"It was my impression of you!" She took on the posture again. "I'm Rodolphus Lestrange and I make everyone think I'm some big badass when really I'm just a sweet little virgin."

Rudy laughed right along with her. "You're adorable. But I don't see you taking a sip!"

"That's because I never had the reputation of a pimp!" Aurora shook her head. "Everyone knew I was too lame to get laid."

Rudy shrugged. "Their loss. Less for them means more for me."

Aurora blinked and then quite suddenly burst, "I've never gone skinny dipping!"

It took a moment to hit Rudy, and he watched her keel over with laughter, and then he fell over right along with her.

"What the hell Aurora?"

"What?" She choked on her own laughing. "I haven't!"

Rudy couldn't even respond. He hadn't laughed this hard in a long time and it felt good. She was wiping tears from her eyes and he was clutching his stomach long before they controlled their hysterics. When they finally got the laughter under control, they still couldn't stop giggling and they finished the last of their butterbeer with quiet conversation instead of the rowdy game. Aurora curled up against Rudy and stared up at the ceiling as he talked, one hand propping up his head, the other running up and down the curve of her body. She could smell the butterbeer on his breath and almost taste it still on his lips when he leaned down to kiss her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was a life she could get used to. This was a life she was already used to and very happy with. This was the man she could spend the rest of her life with.

* * *

_If you've enjoyed the read, please review! All reviews- and we mean all of them- recieve a response on our profile page, where you can also keep up-to-date on us (the authors). Thank you and happy reading!_


	18. Heist

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 18

* * *

The cold was dreary. Looking about the castle, it could be seen dripping off of everyone; wet footprints, lank hair, solemn expressions. Gloom spread from the roof of the great hall and settled on the castle like an ancient dog gone to sleep, heavy and unmoving.

It seemed fitting, Rudy thought as he ascended the staircase to the owlry, letter in hand. He felt guilty again, tapping the envelope against his leg. He wondered if his mother knew. If she suspected her son was editing news from his letters, she said nothing about it; never asked what was wrong, or what was secret...she was so skittish that way. Never asked for anything, not for herself.

He could see her, the navy shawl tucked neatly around her shoulders, pacing the floor of the library and scanning the pages of his messy hand, smiling to herself. Was she crying again, as the rain hit the windows? Did she jump when doors slammed open and shut? And Rudy lied to her! Amidst all else in her life her beloved sons, her last comforts, spoke to her with the tongues of snakes.

He passed a Durmstrang and a Beauxbaton on the staircase, seemingly friendly with each other. He was irked by the wet; she sneered at the cold. Hogwarts, and the excitement of the tournament, was clearly not what they had envisioned. The Beauxbaton lowered her eyes as Rudy passed, but the Durmstrang stared boldly back at him. "It is no wonder the English are all sickly," he boomed out.

Rudy stared meanly at the boy for a moment, but then gave up the staring contest. He had other things on his mind than some worthless prat that couldn't handle weather. Not that his mood was much better, but at least he didn't complain about it. _If rain is the greatest worry you have, you're lucky_.

Thinking of his mother again, Rudy flushed and tapped the limp envelope against his palm as he waited for the stately eagle owl to flutter down from its perch and take his greetings away and into the monotonous gray skies. Should he do it? Should he dare to speak the words that laid so heavily on his heart? "I am coming to take you away," he would write, "and we shall live out of sight, laughing at the world."

The owl plucked the letter from his hand smartly, raised one wing in a sort of salute, and flew away.

Rudy sighed and trudged back down the staircase. None of them would enjoy that life. To be so hidden from others. Who would his mother dance with, again? And what would happen if he and Aurora fought? _And what would happen if I turned out to be just like him... who would protect them from me?_

He swallowed and pushed a hand through his hair. _No, we must not think such horrible thoughts_, he said to himself. _It's only the weather that has you so down_. He could hear his mother's voice in his head.

He sat down to breakfast near to Aurora, even though they usually spent mealtimes with their friends. "Pluto," he said automatically, entering the conversation as casually as he could. It had become more common to see other houses mixing at the tables with the Triwizard guests around, and since Aurora and Rudy's daring shuffle between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. The Ravenclaws still did not appreciate that Rudy occasionally sat at high table… but they recognized he was a valuable study tool, especially for younger students, and so they stopped turning him away.

A hard-won effort, it had been. Both of the prefects had turned on him, threatened to take points from his house if he didn't go—he'd had to prove he knew more about Transfiguration than any of them put together in order to stay. He was surprised at how focused they'd been on practicality—can this or that be done, how can it—Rudy had been interested for awhile in the finer points of the magic. Why things worked how they did, pointing out trends and patterns that the textbooks failed to mention or to notice; his tests were returned with an "O" scrawled across the top.

It was Astronomy high table. Someone was asking about the muggles, and hadn't they mistaken the magical properties of Eris for higher mass, and called it a planet?

"Pluto," Rudy said again. "They consider Pluto a planet, not Eris."

"You're sure it's not Ceres?"

"Pluto," Rudy insisted lightly, and went back to his breakfast. Aurora turned and smiled at him.

"Now how did you know that," she asked, a sly look on her face.

"Oh," Rudy said. "A spirited young thestral was having an argument with me about whether or not muggles could recognize magic."

He smiled at her, and then wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"What's wrong," she asked, immediately knowing his troubled expression for what it was behind the tiredness.

"Rain's getting to me," Rudy said cryptically, and she knew he meant to talk to her about it later.

"We'll just have to go and get you to it, then. We'll walk," she nodded once, and turned back to the discussion.

"Aurora, it's raining. We're not going for a walk."

"Yes, we are," she insisted, and Rudy dropped it. If she thought the rain would let up, she was a fool…

One breakfast, two hours of study, and many charms later, they walked through the rain warm and dry thanks to her spellwork, holding hands. Rudy was humming.

"So?" Aurora asked, as Rudy stopped and stared at a small stone hidden in the grass. "Bee in your bonnet, Broody?"

Rudy smiled slightly, but didn't quite laugh as he might have done. He let go her hand, and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Once," he began, "when I was very young, my mother took me to see her brother's grave. It is the first time I can ever really remember her crying. I didn't know what to do. I was so worried it had been something I'd said or done—I promised to be good, I swore I would never make anybody angry ever again. She just held me and cried. I sat still. I was quiet. I couldn't stand it, so I talked. I tried to make her laugh, but she only smiled and cired all the harder. I don't know how long we sat there, but when I got scared—when I started to cry and held on tight to her—that was when she stopped. She's- she always takes care of us," Rudy fiercely insisted.

Aurora was silent. It was so rare for Rudy to talk about his family. "It is her birthday, today," Rudy said. "I feel awful every year that Rabastan and I are both away at school to leave her to her misery."

He looked down sadly at Aurora, turned her around to hold her more tightly in his arms. "They were twins," he finished, softly and miserably, "and all I can give her is a letter."

Aurora held him. So tall, so strapping, and so crumpled by nothing but a simple stone in the grass, half buried under weed and moss. It would have gone unnoticed by anyone else, unless, perhaps, they wandered in the gray rain, thinking about death, and seen it for a forgotten headstone.

Rudy was humming again, his chest buzzing with the deep baritone caught within.

"What are you singing?"

Rudy smiled sadly, parted his lips and a soft, sad melody filled the air around them.

"_Oak, granite_

_Lilies by the road,_

_Remember me?_

_I remember you._

_Clouds brushing_

_Clover hills,_

_Remember me?_

_Sister, child,_

_Grown tall,_

_Remember me?_

_I remember you."_

"Is it him, singing?" Aurora asked. "Your uncle?"

Rudy nodded.

"You'll see her soon," Aurora gently assured him. "You have to go home for the holiday, before the ball."

"I know," Rudy said. "But we have miles to go before then."

"It'll come sooner than you think."

Rudy sighed. It would come sooner than they thought. Everything would come sooner than they thought; even death comes as a surprise, knocking on the door. He clutched Aurora more tightly.

"Grown tall," Aurora chuckled to herself. "I should hope she wasn't afraid of heights."

Rudy stared at her for a moment, confused… and then he let out a bark of surprised laughter. His surprised turned warmer as he stared down at Aurora, who had dared to make him laugh, who had treated his misery as... bearable. Something he could simply name and set aside. He kissed her on the forehead, using the innocent gesture as a way to get in a good pinch on her rear without being noticed. She yelped and swatted him.

"Come on, then, starshine. We're offending the rain with our laughter. What things to say at a mock funeral." He gestured at the moss-covered stone as if to apologise for Aurora's behavior.

"Funerals should celebrate life, not mourn death," Aurora said. "You're right, though. Charm's wearing off, and I'm cold."

Rudy snickered, and Aurora swatted him. Neither of them needed to say that they could full well keep each other from freezing.

Swinging arm by swinging arm, they ambled their warm way back up to school.

* * *

"But it's been weeks," Snape whined. "And they've only gotten closer!"

"Good. It'll make the fall harder and more final when it happens."

"What if it doesn't work? You've heard the rumors—that they're considering marriage, they've shagged in the potion's classroom, that Dumbledore talked Aurora's parents into the idea…" Snape trailed off, blushing and kicking his feet.

"And you believe it all don't you, you sniffling fool," Bella snorted, shaking her head in contempt and going back to her homework. "Go away. You're breathing on me."

"I'm just saying I think this has gotten out of hand. They're getting steadily more inseparable!"

"Everything is separable if you have the right leverage."

Snape was silent for many long moments, so that Bella thought he had gone, until she heard his voice peep up over her shoulder again.

"…what if he gets her pregnant?"

Bella turned around and grabbed the edge of his robe, glaring fiercely up at him. "Those are RUMOURS Snape. Nothing more than that. And you're a bloody idiot if you think he'd ever-" Bellatrix groped for words, the redness in her face rising rapidly. Her gaze narrowed as she let the sentence go unfinished.

Snape nodded quickly, and she released him, turning back around. Bella hoped she was right…in any case, she seriously doubted they were more than rumors. It was Aurora Sinistra. She hardly showed her ankle to anyone let alone shag someone in a classroom. And Rudy…Bella sneered into her homework. Rudy should be shagging, but not some dirty daughter of a squib. _It should be ME_, she thought. _And it will be, soon enough. He's mine. _

* * *

The wicks were wet on all the candles in the Great Hall, and they all hissed and sputtered as Dumbledore lit them with a wave of his arm. The sun hadn't gone down, but the clouds had grown steadily thicker as the students ate dinner. He'd stood up to do it, scraped his chair across the floor. The sound of his movement in the change of light quieted everyone. Utensils were set aside, napkins rose and fell for a final time. An endless roomful of expectant faces turned to Dumbledore, begging.

Rudy glanced at Rabastan, his mouth in a firm line. "I want it," his brother mouthed. Rudy stared at him for a moment, and nodded once. Aurora shoved him. "Mine!" She contradicted, and Rudy gave her a wry smile. Aurora had slipped her own name into the Goblet of Fire a few days earlier. Half of Slytherin House had accompanied their hopeful champions. After the last Slytherin name had been tossed into the cup, Aurora shook her head and stepped forward. "Sorry boys," she sincerely called. "Cup's mine." Laughter echoed around the hall as she clapped a pitying hand on Rabastan's shoulder. Even Rudy, who was clearly nervous about his brother's entry, had broken into a smile. The playful rivalry between Aurora and Rabastan had turned into a running joke across the week and still hadn't lost its charm. _Smacktalk_, Aurora thought to herself. _Boys are so easily amused_.

Despite the well-recieved barb, though, Aurora could sense the tension in her boyfriend. Even though he had his arm wrapped in hers as they leaned on the table together, his other hand was tapping one finger lightly and methodically against the table. Dumbledore still hadn't spoken, but nobody else moved to break the silence. Little things began to happen; food quite suddenly disappeared from the golden plates, disappearing in an instant. What light remained from Hogwarts' enchanted ceiling dimmed so quickly it was almost as if it had been shut off. Still Dumbledore stood at the front of the room, silent. He surveyed them all, clear-eyed and fierce looking in the firelight. The silence strained forward, as though if it were quiet enough it could grasp the future and tug it to the present just a little bit faster...

Rudy's heartbeats thudded in his chest. _Hurry up, you damn-_

Dumbledore suddenly swept aside, staring intently at the Goblet as it glowed whiter and whiter. It looked primal, an ancient piece of magic, about to belch judgement into the air like a pagan god. White light filled the Great Hall, dwarfing the orange glow from the candles- and then it sneezed Red, flames leaping into the air and just as suddenly receeding. An ash-charred bit of parchment floated down from above. Dumbledore stood still, watching it as it sifted down. An edge of it glowed hot, a dying ember. He held out one patient hand, and the parchment settled dutifully onto it. He turned it in his long fingers.

"Our Durmstrang Champion," he intoned solemnly, "is Fedor Sykava." Rudy raised an eyebrow, watching the young man walk forward. He came from a long line of potioneers, and he looked like Severus. Always as if he'd sampled a disagreeable cauldron. He was ferociously tall, though, and maybe that was something; but he didn't look like a fighter. He didn't look tough, he looked... ill. Dumbledore shook the Sykava's hand solemnly, and then stepped back to allow the boy to bow to his own headmaster and acknowledge the other adults at the teacher's table. Straightening, he looked even bigger; pride had set in, and it made him look bigger. On second thought, Rudy didn't want to provoke Sykava at all. Maybe the Goblet knew something he didn't.

The door on the far side of the Great Hall shut, the noise quieting the momentary chatter of the excited students. Dumbledore turned back to the Goblet, which was beginning to brighten again. It flared red, an instant this time, and much more crisply controlled; another scrap of parchment flew, and fell. The Beauxbaton announced was smug, and smirking, and ugly, Rudy thought. Few supported her; everyone else was jealous. He had already forgotten her name by the time she reached the front of the room, although undoubtedly it would be drilled into his head across the semester. Or wouldn't. He'd pay as little attention to the tournament as possible, if only he could just keep Rabastan out of it...

Rudy glanced at his brother again, and found the boy grinning ear to ear. He tried to catch his eye, but Rabastan's starry-eyed gaze was fixed on Dumbledore; Rudy looked around the table, saw people already patting his brother on the back, turned to look back at Dumbledore...

"The Champion for Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, and Rudy felt his heart stop. _Please, Circe, No_. "is Rabastan Lestrange."

Shouts erupted from the Slytherin table. Rabastan stood, fiercely triumphant, and strode towards the front of the hall as if the Championship was his by birthright. He firmly shook Dumbledore's hand, looking him in the eye, and dared any and all of the Professors at the table to deny him his honor by simple virtue of his proud gaze. He bowed, almost mockingly. When he rose, he did not turn to exit the hall like most of the champions. He turned back to the students, and raised a victorious fist in the air. Slytherin House pounded the table and stomped on the floor, loving Rabastan for his arrogance. Dumbledore glanced at Rabastan over his spectacles and gestured wordlessly towards the door. Unbelievably, Rabastan hesitated in defiance. Rudy's mouth fell open as Rabastan relented, and swaggered out of the Great Hall.

"Bit smug, isn't he?" Aurora deadpanned.

"Circe and Merlin's bastard beasts," Rudy breathed. "Of course he is. He cheated, and it worked."

* * *

Aurora pulled her sweater over her head and sighed at herself in the mirror. How could she honestly have agreed to this? _How could you not?_ She got shivers just thinking about how and when it had been brought up. "Cheater," she grumbled to herself. "Just like his brother." Just like Rabastan had tricked the Goblet of Fire into choosing his name, Rudy had tricked her into this. Although Rudy hadn't needed to ask over and over again, like Rabastan had needed as many different people as possible to submit _his_ name to the Goblet. Aurora suspected there was a great deal more magic that had gone into the heist as well. Rudy hadn't needed bribery or magic or persistance; he only needed to ask her. Once. He was just that persuasive.

"Damn him," She grumbled, pulling a brush through her blonde hair. "Damn him and his ability to make me weak. You've lost your mind, Aurora. This is nuts."

She sighed again and set her brush aside, pulling her hair back in a simple ponytail. She debated on the makeup—sure it was a semi-special occasion, and she knew every other girl would look like they had walked out of Paris dressed in their finest flirt-gear and flashing the long lashes and tan legs…but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It made her look fake, like a clown, and she wasn't even sure she remembered how to apply it. Finishing school had taught her, sure, but even then Cissy had always cheated and helped her out. So with a determined shut of the drawer, she dabbed on a light lip-gloss and called it good. Rudy had liked her thus far; make up wouldn't change things now.

_Rudy…_Aurora thought back to last night and how she got herself into this mess. They had been snogging—when weren't they snogging—in the middle of studying when Rudy had pulled away to catch his breath. His hands were tied up in her hair and he was breathing hard, having pinned her completely between himself and the couch of pillows. Aurora was wrapped tightly around him, his shirt unbuttoned save the few that were too stubborn to come undone, and her nails embedded into his skin. She was utterly flushed and hopeless for him, her eyes dark with affection and desire and his penetrating gaze showing similar feelings. _It had been hot_, she thought, _so erotic in it's very simple and yet intimate way_. And that's when the question had been sprung on her. It had come out of nowhere and she had no chance to even consider it, the heat of the moment still warping her thoughts.

"Tomorrow there's a bunch of us going into Hogsmeade, to the Three Broomsticks, and we're taking some Durmstrangs and Beauxbatons with us. Just to spend the night drinking and partying. To celebrate. You should come with me."

Had Aurora even considered whom "a bunch of us" meant? Had she put two and two together and realized that it would be Rudy's friends, the purebloods and wealth of Slytherin? Had she figured it would mean that the Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students tagging along would be of similar nature? Did she even stop to care that she would be the outsider in the rowdy and snooty environment?

….not until after she agreed.

"You're a fool Aurora," She continued to grumble to herself as she walked out of the Ravenclaw common room and made her way to meet Rudy outside. She was going to be awkwardly alone and segregated the whole night. None of Rudy's friends were particularly mean to her anymore…but she did not belong with them. She was not "cool" like them. She wasn't crazy, she didn't cheat... and the others were simply above her by blood. Even if she was dating Rudy, she was still a squibspawn to many others. And that was not likely to change tonight. Then again, she was used to the stares and sneers and gossip. One more night of it wouldn't kill her. Plus, she knew how much it meant to Rudy, to be with his friends, and to have his girlfriend with him. If he was so confident about it, why shouldn't she be too?

"You look nice," Rudy said as she approached and she gave him a sideways grin.

"I look no different than usual," She chided and he laughed quietly, taking her hand and starting the walk that would lead them into Hogsmeade.

"You're smiling at least," He remarked. "I expected to find you more nervous."

"I have endured these people all these years. One night around them won't hurt…I hope." And she did hope it. Otherwise, it was going to be a very long night.

"I'll be with you the entire time," Rudy assured, squeezing her hand. "You'll be fine."

Aurora didn't say anything more about it, but followed him into town, enjoying the quiet, brisk walk there. When they arrived outside the pub, it was already well lit and roaring with students. Rudy grinned and paused to look at her.

"Looks like they started without us!"

Aurora nodded with a small smile and followed him inside where a wave of smoke and heat wafted over her. Never before had Aurora beheld such a party. She had attended Ravenclaw common room parties, but they were nothing compared to this. Somehow the Durmstrang's had gotten a hold of sweet smelling cigarettes that they and the Beauxbatons were eager to share with the naïve Hogwarts students, while the Slytherins passed around butterbeers as if they had all the money in the world to blow on the drinks. Aurora recognized many of the rowdy Slytherin boys, arms slung around Beauxbaton girls in their short blue skirts and near-see-through blouses. They looked so French, Aurora observed, with their cigarettes held daintily in their slender fingers and their soft waves of hair let down around their shoulders. The Durmstrangs were fewer in number, but that was because the few that were there were accompanying the few Slytherin girls. Most were snogging in corners or sitting too close to one another in the booths and whispering and giggling between each other. Aurora realized, with a growing pit in her stomach, that she was the only Ravenclaw here. There were no Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs to be found.

"How is this possible?" She asked Rudy, almost yelling to be heard above the noise.

"Money!" Rudy leaned down to say in her ear. "Higgin's parents are good friends with the owner. They bought out the place for the evening!"

Aurora shook her head with disbelieving eyes. Oh, the luxury of being wealthy.

"Where's Rabastan?"

"He won't be here, he hates crap like this. Probably came, left after ten minutes, begging off to do Tournament Stuff. You and I, however, are far freer to enjoy ourselves. Come on."

Rudy lead Aurora over to the bar where he found them two empty stools. Higgins was immediately over to clap Rudy on the shoulder and despite her best efforts, Aurora simply couldn't hear them. The bartender, however, was quick to get her and Rudy a drink—apparently she wasn't going to have to worry about paying for anything after all. Sipping her drink as Rudy was flocked by all his usual friends, Aurora glanced around at the crowd and tried her best to ignore the few that had actually noticed her coming in. The stares were obvious, but thankfully few in number since most were more concerned with their drink or their snogging buddy. Of the four that had accumulated around Rudy, Parkinson was the only one to give Aurora any sort of nod as a greeting, even though he immediately went back to his conversation with Bletchly, Higgins, Nott, and Lestrange. At least it would be less awkward, Aurora figured, with everyone so distracted. All she had to do was sit and drink and provide Rudy his arm decoration if he moved.

Four butterbeers and a few hours later, Aurora realized this would not be the case anymore. A few Beauxbaton students had come to chat with her, realizing she spoke fluent French and looked as though she could be one of them. They soon realized, however tipsy she was, Aurora was far from the prim and girlish figure they were hoping for and so accustomed to. They had tried asking her how far she and Rudy had gone, what kissing him was like, where her favorite places to shop in Paris were, what her father did for a living, why she didn't go to Beauxbatons when she was so obviously a French girl…all of which Aurora avoided answering honestly by covering with sarcastic remarks and tipsy, awkward changes of subject. But the girls got more insistent the more butterbeer they consumed, and the boys more obnoxious. They started pestering Rudy, and though he was just as good about avoiding the answers, he was much smoother about it; especially when it came to questions about he and Aurora. The boys, feeding off the energy and nagging of the girls, started in on Rudy too. Higgins got Aurora another drink and asked if, in exchange, she would snog Rudy in front of them so they could see if squibspawn could do it better. She politely declined. One of the Beauxbaton girls, however, took him up on the offer, chugged the drink and promptly went to snog Nott. The onlookers at the bar cheered and catcalled them and Aurora felt the slightest bit of jealously that she was unable to bring herself to do it. Wouldn't it just result in more teasing anyway? She wasn't one of them—and what if she was no good at it? They only wanted to see it so they could mock her more; she just knew it.

But still the night went on, more people chugging mugs of butterbeer and taking up dares to do strip-teases on the bar, snog a stranger, snog girl-on-girl, or pay the dare-er if they couldn't come through on the chugging or the dare. Aurora was stunned. What a different life they all lead. They were CRAZY! A fifth butterbeer was passed her way. And then a sixth. She was sure by now she had had more to drink than Rudy because he was too busy talking and cheering on others to drink so much. But with her minimal conversation, she had plenty of time to drink. And she was starting to feel it too.

"Come on Sinistra!" Parkinson bellowed from across the bar. "Your turn! Up and chug a mug then let's see some tongue with Lestrange!"

Aurora blushed and shook her head, and Rudy laughed despite himself.

"No I don't think so!"

"Aw, come ON!" Higgins punched Rudy's shoulder. "You not such a good kisser after all Lestrange?"

The few of them laughed and Rudy mock-glared them, enjoying himself.

"She just doesn't want you to get jealous," He countered, which was followed by a few, "oohs" from the crowd.

"She is of French blood, no? But she does not know the French kiss…"

Aurora raised her eyebrows at one of the Beauxbaton girls, standing on a barstool and announcing this challenge for everyone to hear.

"I do too!"

"Aurora!" Rudy laughed.

"Prove it!" The topless girl challenged.

"Ah, leave her alone," Rudy scolded, waving his hand at his friends and taking another sip of butterbeer.

"Don't be afraid of embarrassing him!" Nott laughed. "We've always wanted to see him in action!"

"Yeah, he's all talk and no game!" Parkinson joined in the riling and Aurora was fingering her empty mug thoughtfully.

"It's just those Ravenclaws," Bletchly poked Aurora in the side. "They just don't know how to have fun!"

That was the last straw. Aurora turned on Bletchly and thrust the mug in his hands.

"Fill it up then, smartass."

The entire bar turned into an uproar of approval. The mug was refilled for her seventh—or was it eighth—butterbeer and without hesitation Aurora chugged it to the chant of "Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" Even Rudy was getting into it. When she finished, without so much as missing a drop, she slammed the cup on the bar and wiped her lips with the back of her hand, a drunk but smug grin on her face. The others cheered but she was not finished yet. Standing from her stool, she hauled an unsuspecting Rudy off his by the collar of his shirt. Before he could even set down his mug, she had wrapped a leg around him and pulled him into a heated snog so that she could prove once and for all that she was not just an incompetent Ravenclaw squibspawn who couldn't have fun. Rudy didn't have the mindset to stop her and was actually a bit turned on by her sudden boldness. With his free hand he wrapped it around her waist while the other raised his mug into the air, everyone following suit with a loud cheers.

When Aurora finished the snog, she flashed him a coy smirk and pulled her hair loose of the ponytail, giving him a little seductive grind before she let him go. That also got a good laugh and a round of catcalls from the buddies at the bar. She didn't care that she was buzzing with the butterbeer. She didn't care that she had just done a tempting little dance against Rudy who was helplessly frozen where he was. Rudy's face was priceless and the laughs and cheers she received felt well deserved. She had finally proven something. Aurora would always be a squibspawn to them…but at least she knew how to have fun.

Rudy smirked back at her, saluted her lightly with his drink, and took a sip… but then he was in her mouth, again… she tasted like butterbeer and something, something else… and she was so hungry for him! Her tongue, it was… and there went her leg again; and her hips were dancing so lightly against his—

He jumped and pushed her backward. He took a few heaving breaths, and then turned his back on her for a moment. Not the time or place to lose your head, Rudy—you just need to calm your ass down at this party, Rudy—what would Aunt Jeorga say if—

Aurora had a thought and swiftly acted on it, thrusting her hands into Rudy's pockets, scratching lightly at his legs. "Rudy." She stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear. "Rudy, you are so…" Aurora's mind sloshed around in her head, looking for a word. "Tall… tall and dark and handsome, Rudy, just like all the fairy tales." She kissed his ear, his neck. He was so rigid. "Why don't you come back this way and make me part of a fairy tale too…"

Rudy suddenly stepped forward, out of her reach, but he quickly turned. She raised a hand to beckon to him, but he swatted it out of the way and came at her with such force and determination in his face—he lifted her off the floor and pinned her against the bar and snogged her so fiercely she thought she would faint, or bruise.

He tore himself away from her again, running a hand wildly through his hair. He closed his eyes and nodded to himself once. He wouldn't do it. He would not allow it to happen, not when she was drunk like this, not when so many people had dared her, not when it wasn't mostly her choice.

"Come on, you," he said, and lifted Aurora off the bar. She giggled as the room spun, and Rudy caught her before she stumbled off her own two feet. "Come on, kid—back to the dormitory for you—"

"Why can't we go to the attic?" Aurora smirked devilishly at him. "Come to the attic with me, Rudy, and I'll dance all over you—"

"NO," Rudy contradicted, chewing on his lip. "No you won't. It's bedtime. You have to go back to your dormitory. You're not going to feel very well in the morning, I don't think. How much have you had to drink?"

"Not enough kisses from YOU…" She giggled and threw herself at Rudy, wrapping her arms around him and staring into his face.

"Aurora," Rudy said bravely, "you're drunk. I didn't intend it, and I'm taking you home, right now, and you're going to sleep it off in the dormitory." His voice cracked. He could only be so persuasive.

"Rudy," Aurora protested, annoyed. "Your friends like me right now—I don't want to go home—"

"I promise they will like you tomorrow. Let's GO, starshine. Come on."

"If you're not going to shag her while she's drunk, at least give us a safe place to go… where do you spend so much of your stupid time these days, anyway—"

"We're in the at—"

"AURORA, here's your coat, come on—"

"I don't want to go! Let's stay here, where it's warm inside. I'll snog you." Aurora batted her eyelashes at him seductively.

"I don't want to snog right now. I want to go home." Rudy thrust her coat at her again.

"No!" Aurora whirled around. "I bet anybody else here would snog me—WHO'S WILLING TO SNOG ME IF RUDY WON'T?" She shouted to the bar.

The smiling Durmstrang turned around, breaking away from his breathless snogging buddy. Aurora smiled coyly at him. "DON'T—"

They were kissing. Aurora was holding his face in her hands, and the Durmstrang's forehead was creased beatifically, and Rudy's fist had a mind of its own, and shortly buried itself in the face of the Durmstrang that dared to touch his girlfriend.

"Rudy," Aurora said, scolding him. "You promised you wouldn't get angry for me anymore, and he was just a kiss—we were just kissing—"

"NOBODY GETS TO SNOG YOU BUT ME—"

The Durmstrang hauled himself up. "THEN BE MAN ENOUGH TO KEEP HER OCCUPIED!"

They lunged at each other, and Rudy forced the Durmstrang back towards the bar, wrapped a hand around his throat and hit like a hammer.

Aurora stared at the two of them stupidly. He promised, she thought. He promised he wouldn't do that. He doesn't need to be doing that anymore.

"Rudy!" She snapped, suddenly serious. Rudy stood up and looked at her. "Stop!" Rudy let him go, and approached her as though she would break into a thousand pieces at the slightest squeak.

She scowled regally at him. "If you're going to act like this, I want to go home."

Rudy nodded awkwardly. "I'm sorry," he said.

Aurora turned on her heel and walked out the door. Rudy hesitated for the briefest second, and then strode off quickly to follow her, swiping her forgotten coat from the ground, but not so quickly he failed to miss the whip-crack Gregg Nott imitated as he rushed past.

"Aurora, put on your coat. You're going to freeze." Rudy caught up to her on the path, crunching through the snow in nothing but her skirt and sweater of a uniform. Her teeth were already chattering.

"This is why I don't go to your silly parties all the time anyway," Aurora said as he helped her slip the thing over her shoulders. "I don't like the way anybody behaves there—people are always fighting—people get hurt when they fight, Rudy, don't you know that?"

"Yes," Rudy said automatically, buttoning it up the front for her. How many beers had been passed to her over the course of the night? Had anyone else slipped her anything?

"Though I have to say, Rudy, you are extremely attractive when you throw a punch…" She wrapped her arms around his elbow, pulling herself close to his sweater and breathing in the smell of it. Sweater and cold, crisp air, and Rudy. "Very hot—"

"Thank you," Rudy said, smirking. He poked her in the stomach and she playfully bit at his arm, and Rudy twitched it away from her.

"That's no fun," Aurora teased. "Come back here and I'll really give you something to jump about—"

"I'm tired tonight," Rudy countered, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm not," Aurora contradicted. "I'm really awake. And really warm," she said, her hand moving so slowly down Rudy's back… "and really, really turned on by you…"

Rudy swallowed, and then turned to face Aurora. "You're drunk, starshine. No fooling around when anybody's drunk."

"Why not?"

"Well, your father would kill me, for one. And my father would kill us both. And then who would Rabastan use to help him pass all his classes? Nobody, that's who. So no snogging when intoxicated. Just bed."

"As long as you're sleeping with me…"

"Noooo. You in your own bed, lightweight. And a big glass of water," he said, absently.

"Aw." Aurora punched his arm playfully. "What fun is that?"

What fun was that, Rudy thought for a moment. What if they did go back to the library attic, what if they did go back and lose themselves in kissing—she'd had him half undressed yesterday, he'd had his hands all over her body before, and gods… to…

"NO!" Rudy shouted, and shook his head.

Aurora snickered and stuffed her hand into one of his back pockets.

* * *

Mornings hurt on a regular basis. Aurora was not a morning person; she was a night owl, perched on the astronomy most nights of the year. This morning did more than hurt—it killed. She woke up sick to her stomach and so heavy in the head she could hardly drag herself out of bed. The world was spinning and her entire body ached, from head to foot, and she groaned with great effort when she pulled herself to her feet. She nearly toppled right back into the bed. Her hand groped for the bedside table and she came across a piece of paper, folded neatly. Clutching her stomach and reading it as best she could—the words kept blurring on her—she got the gist that Rudy was waiting for her in the attic if she was feeling up to it and he had hangover potion for her. Thank goodness it was only Sunday, Aurora thought as she rushed to the bathroom to vomit up the leftovers from last night. Once she got it out of her system, she felt a little better. But her clothes reflected her lazy nature and her face was paler than usual as she drug herself up to the attic to find Rudy.

When he saw her come in, her bag slung around her shoulder and spilling out its contents, and her hair unruly and face white, he chuckled quietly and got up from his studying to embrace her. She was weak against his shoulder and he smoothed her hair with one hand.

"Good morning starshine," Rudy cooed gently in her ear. He could tell she had had a rough morning, but despite himself he could not stop grinning. "How are you feeling?"

"Like death," Aurora grumbled into his shoulder.

He chuckled again and took her bag, setting it on the floor, and then swept her up in his arms and laid her back down on the couch. She didn't struggle at all and curled up in the fetal position the minute she was set down. Rudy caressed her soft face a moment before wrapping her snug in a blanket and fishing in his own bag for the potion.

"Here, drink some of this," He offered the small phial to Aurora and she took it with an unsteady hand. He watched her bring it to her lips and take a sip, and her face distorted into a look of disgust. "I never promised it would taste good."

"And this will help?" Aurora asked skeptically.

Rudy nodded and took the vial back. "It will work miracles. How do you think I've made it to class on days that I go out drinking with the guys?"

"Thank you," She attempted a soft smile and he leaned forward to kiss her gently.

"No problem, it's the least I could do after that little show you gave me last night," Rudy poked fun at her.

Aurora furrowed her brow, "Bloody hell, what did I do?"

Rudy laughed, "You don't remember?"

"I remember some of it," Her frown deepened as she strained to remember. "I remember talking to the Beauxbaton girls, and finally taking Nott up on his dare when he said Ravenclaws didn't know how to have fun…I think it was Nott…"

"It was Nott," Rudy agreed. "Well it was everyone really."

"But I don't remember a whole lot after that. I remember snogging you. But I have a bruise on my back, from being pressed so forcefully against the bar, to prove it." She gave him a coy little smile.

"Aurora, I'm sorry—"

"Don't be," Aurora cut him off. "It was hot…did you punch someone?"

Rudy looked down, still embarrassed about letting his emotions get so out of hand, but nodded numbly.

Aurora was quiet for a second and then groaned, "I kissed him didn't I? That Durmstrang…bloody hell!"

Rudy glanced sideways at her; just to make sure she was actually was distraught about it. And she did look like it.

"I'm sorry Rudy," She apologized. "I didn't mean to get so drunk and out of hand…I just had nothing better to do and the drinks kept coming…"

"No, I'm sorry. I should've known asking you to come was a selfish idea. I just wanted everyone to get used to it, that I was taken and happy with the girl I have…I didn't even consider how uncomfortable you'd be."

They were both silent for a few minutes, Aurora feeling guilty and slightly sluttish over her behavior last night, and Rudy thinking about how crazy it had gotten. He had never seen Aurora so…loose before! She had had no inhibitions and she certainly revealed to him the sexy minx he had never seen before. Sure he knew she could be alluring and seductive when she wanted to be; as proven a few nights ago when they had to force themselves to stop snogging before it got out of hand. Rudy was constantly being turned on by his little Ravenclaw…but last night was something else. Thankfully his morals had stood up to her seducing, because there were a few times he was so close to caving entirely. The way she had danced against him, complimented him, snogged him so boldly and ran her hands mercilessly over his body…he shook his head, getting turned on just thinking about it.

"What?" Aurora asked, noticing the smirk on his face.

"Oh nothing. I was just thinking about last night. You little fox." He teased and Aurora blushed.

"Don't even tell me!" She said, pulling the blanket up over her face. "I don't even want to know!"

Rudy laughed and tugged at the blanket, "But it was so hot—I didn't know you had it in you to seduce a man like that!"

"I'm not very good if you still sent me to my bed," Came the muffled response.

Rudy laughed again, "You were drunk! I want you to seduce me when you're sober, and then we'll talk."

"You'll still send me to bed," Her voice was light with humor, but still muffled from under the blanket. "Fear of our parents will keep you from having your way with me."

Rudy smirked. He liked the sounds of that. Having his way with her…Circe, if only!

He tugged on the blanket harder, revealing her face and her groggy, but still enticing, blue eyes. "Then you'll just have to try harder," He replied gruffly and she smiled at him. The potion was starting to kick in.

She reached out to pull him closer and he leaned forward to kiss her fully. He would never get tired of this—of her. How complete she made him feel!

"I love you Rudy," She whispered against his lips, her fingers lightly tracing the edges of his face. "Thank you for always taking care of me."

He smiled and kissed her again, lightly. "I always will."

* * *

_Several quips in this chapter, in addition to the folksong lyrics quoted, pay direct homage to _Ella Enchanted _by Gail Carson Levine. If you haven't read it, you should. Ella can make anybody smile, no matter their woes; not to mention, the book is far cleverer than the movie and a girl's childhood staple. If I had a better recommendation, I would list it here in an effort to be more persuasive. Unfortunately, I am not so rescourceful as the Lestrange brothers and can't think of a way to cheat and make you read it. I think you're above having the shameless promotion repeated excessively. _

* * *

_Many thanks to all our reviewers, followers, and favorites! This chapter appears early this week in direct response to their comments. For another Reader's Challenge, reviewer responses, and more info be sure to stay tuned to our profile page. News is posted there with the advent of every new chapter and some other times besides._


	19. Brothers

**The Sinistriad**  
_Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 19

* * *

Rudy dropped his bag on a spare spot of bench in the Great Hall and jobbed up a ways to catch his brother's eye. "Can I have a minute?"

Rabastan swiveled his eyes up, and blinked once. "I'm eating," he said, implacably.

Rudy squinted at the blatant refusal. "Then snag me after you're done." His brother nodded and then clearly reentered the conversation he'd been having before Rudy had interrupted.

After staring at the little group for a moment, Rudy shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back towards Aurora, who was still standing awkwardly next to their stuff.

"That was weird," Rudy said, automatically moving Aurora's things out of the way so that she could sit down first. Setting their bags aside, he sidled up next to her. "He's avoiding me."

"Who?" Aurora asked. "Rabastan?"

"Yeah," Rudy said slowly, and then glanced back up the table again. "He barely looked at me."

"Well you are kind of peeved with him," Aurora explained slowly. "Maybe he didn't want to get into it at the table?"

"Probably because he was mad that you waited until after he left to snog your pretty piece of tail, right there," Nott shot, grinning good naturedly at Aurora. "It was quite a show to miss—"

"He sure wasn't waiting around to get a glimpse of your topless midget troll," Aurora shot back, glaring at Nott. He clamped a hand over his heart and sarcastically pretended to die.

"Now children," Rudy interjected, giving Nott an arched look. Nott rolled his eyes and inclined his head apologetically to Aurora. "Had a good time, though, didn't you?"

Aurora shrugged. "I guess I've had worse."

Nott nodded and smiled in satisfaction.

"Oi, Evening edition has the quidditch scores," Parkinson said, waving his newly delivered copy of the Prophet around to gain some semblance of quiet and attention. Rudy obligingly filled his mouth with food in deference to the announcements, but he wasn't really listening. He glanced at Aurora and squeezed her knee under the table, making sure that Nott's comment hadn't rattled her too badly. She smiled at him, and shrugged, understanding his unspoken question immediately. He nodded and turned his attention back to Parkinson.

"The Cannons are still losing, no surprises there, but it looks like Puddlemere—" Parkinson fluffed the paper in a show of support for his favorite team—"aren't doing too bad as of late—"

Rudy reached forward and wrenched the Prophet out of Parkinson's hands, staring horrified at the front page, Rabastan's cold, smug face staring back at him.

"It's already in the paper?"

"Oi! Quidditch scores!" The rest of the table complained, but Rudy barely heard any of them.

"Looks like it's the same one that was in this morning. It's just a side column, nothing in it except names," Nott quietly explained. "The interviews with the Champions and their Families are coming soon."

"You'll have your picture in the paper soon enough," Higgs shouted, "Let's hear the rest of the matches—"

After scanning the article twice, Rudy handed the paper back to Parkinson, who turned immediately back to the Quidditch. "As I was saying," he dryly began again, "The Cannons are dismal, as per the usual, and…"

Air felt constricted in Rudy's chest. He took a deep breath, trying to force it out of his lungs again, and rubbed the back of his neck. The paper. Of course it was in the bloody papers…

He looked back up, trying to shrug off the weight he felt sitting in his stomach, only to see Rabastan halfway out of the Great Hall. "Sonofabitch," Rudy breathed.

"Yeah, he's acting real smug. Don't worry about it, though. Regulus will take him back down to size." Nott wiggled his eyebrows at Aurora.

"What?"

Parkinson shrugged, seamlessly joining the conversation after announcing the last of the Quidditch matches. "Rabastan won't tell him how he tricked the goblet, so Regulus is going to bother him until he comes down off his grand pedestal." Parkinson rolled his eyes, curling his lip in a very superior fashion, and turned a page of the newspaper.

Rudy rubbed his forehead.

"It's nothing new," Nott explained, noting Aurora's confused look. "Do you have in-House rivalries? Rabastan and Regulus have got to be Slytherin's worst."

"We're Ravenclaw," Aurora deadpanned. "Do you really need to ask?"

Rudy chuckled and shoveled a forkful of food. "Why doesn't Regulus just ask somebody else? The whole House was helping him—"

"Sure we were," Parkinson sarcastically agreed. He turned a corner of the paper down to look flatly over at Rudy. "Do you really think it'd be that easy? That feeding your name a bunch of times into the Goblet would really work?"

"No, but has anybody been stupid enough to try it before?"

"Who knows?" Nott laughed. "I'm betting he didn't tell us squat about how he did it, especially since it was Regulus stupid prank anyway, sending everybody over to ask him what they could do to help him get chosen."

Rudy shook his head. "Rabastan is going to kill him one day."

"And Regulus will be too stubborn to die," Parkinson responded, without missing a beat. He turned a page of the paper. "Top marks for exceptional Divination. Somebody give the man a cookie."

Aurora reached out for one of the Snickerdoodles piled on a plate in front of them, but Rudy poked her in the ribs before she got there.

* * *

After dinner, the Slytherins stood up and ambled out of the Great Hall as a group. Mechanically, Rudy followed them, his arm around Aurora's shoulders, but she soon ducked out from under it. "I think I'm going to head up to the library," she said quickly, reaching up to peck him on the cheek.

"Nah, come on with us. I'll only be with Rabastan for five minutes, and I can show you the common room."

Aurora blinked, and look toward the group of boys who'd absently begun to wait on Rudy. "I've got a potions essay to write."

"No you don't," he contradicted, knowing it wasn't true in the slightest. "It's the same group of people we were sitting with at dinner. They don't bite."

"Only because you've got bigger teeth!" Aurora hissed. She turned to walk away, determined not to be conned into standing around the common room without Rudy right there next to her. She had no desire to be targeted by the same bunch of Slytherins that had been harassing her for years, on their own turf, without protection…

"You've got your own set of teeth," Rudy responded. "Sev will be there. Haven't you ever come in with him? You guys are mates, right?"

"We are not welcome in there, and we both know it."

Rudy stopped her and crossed his arms over his chest. "You are mine, you belong to me, and you are welcome because I say so. I'll prove it to you and anybody else who asks. Now come on." Rudy wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her with him to catch up with the boys, latched firmly onto her all the way to the common room.

Aurora gulped as Rudy stepped aside and held open the door, took her firmly by the elbow and ushered her in.

* * *

Hanging tightly onto Aurora's waist, Rudy surveyed the common room with a smirk on his face. For Aurora's first introduction to the common room, his classmates were certainly in top form. Champagne had been broken out in celebration of Slytherin House's representation in the Tournament, and the students were all sharing in the honor. Arrogance bled from the woodwork. Rudy imagined that it had begun as a harmless toast, but Rabastan should have known better than to accept it. It was never just one toast, not when young students could use it as an excuse for inebriation. Rabastan was now being paraded around the common room so that every man in Slytherin House could slap him on the back and drink to him individually. Girls were fawning over him, and every time he managed to excuse himself another set of hopefuls pounced. If Rudy called it right—and he always did—Rabastan had about three more minutes of polite conversation in him before he lost his temper in one hot stream of contempt.

Rabastan caught his brother's eye and then quickly looked away again. Regulus Black took advantage of the distraction and refilled Rabastan's champagne glass again. Rabastan slowly turned his face towards his classmate, who stood there close to laughing. Clearly Rabastan had asked for his glass to remain empty, and Regulus had ignored him. At the sight of Rabastan's glare, Regulus shrugged, took the champagne glass and drained it himself before handing it mockingly back.

Rabastan took it, and with a deft twirl of his fingers both flung the last few drops in the bottom onto Regulus' robe and vanished the glass. Regulus glared, Rabastan gave him a cold smile, and turned away to find Narcissa Black smiling flirtatiously into his face, attempting to introduce him to her new pets; some bear-like Durmstrang and a mousy second year that she'd taken a liking to.

Color was starting to creep into his brother's collar, so Rudy had mercy. Even if Rabastan clearly didn't want to talk to him, he needed to get Rabastan out of the crowd soon. He elbowed his way through his classmates, dragging Aurora with him, and set a firm hand down on his brother's shoulder. Rabastan froze, and didn't look at him.

"Narcissa," Rudy greeted. The girl smiled quickly, noted the looks on each of the brother's faces, and faltered a little. "Good to see you, Aurora," Cissy said, latching onto her friend's arm. "Have you met Karina?" Narcissa knowingly led Aurora away.

"I have nothing to say to you," Rabastan drawled, staring straight ahead.

"I've noticed," Rudy replied, and he steered Rabastan out of the crowd like an errant child, excusing them the whole way. "Just for a moment," Rudy replied to everyone who asked. "Private word. Just a quick moment."

Out the common room door. Up the hallway, Rudy's hand on his shoulder the entire time. Into a classroom. Rabastan jumped as Rudy slammed the door, but otherwise didn't even move to turn around.

"Nice picture in the paper."

"Thanks," Rabastan said, acidly.

"So?" Rudy's harsh voice rang out off the stone walls, but Rabastan stood stock still, clearly refusing to speak. Rudy folded his arms and inhaled deeply, expanding his shoulders menacingly. "When's Dad coming to school?"

"I haven't written yet."

"He found out from the PROPHET? Damnit, Robbie…" Rudy's wand glowed red, but he swallowed the urge to yell and instead buried his face in his hands, pacing back and forth like a caged tiger in front of the door. Rabastan ran his bony finger over the back of a chair and then leaned against it, his eyebrow raised, daring Rudy to continue. Rudy's voice was low when he finally did, but not threatening. Not yet. "He told you not to."

"I wanted to enter, and I did, and I won."

"You bloody cheated!"

"Prove it."

"I DON'T HAVE TO!" Rudy's voice rose with the surging frustration.

Rabastan cringed away from Rudy's bellow, wincing as though it hurt his ears. "Your pocket…"

Rudy sucked in a breath and looked down at his trousers, where the wand had mometarily ignited with his yell. He quickly retrieved his wand and slid a hand over the blemished spot, receiving an amused eye roll from his younger brother. After assessing the damage—very little, thankfully—Rudy pocketed his wand once again and ran both hands through his hair.

With another pace, back and forth, and another deep inhale he managed to lower his volume to a threatening growl. "You had better have some satisfactory explanation. You know he'll be pissed. You _know_ it."

"Oh, I don't know," Rabastan quipped sarcastically. "Depends on whether or not you're standing there, doesn't it?"

Rudy froze and the two brothers stood, glaring at each other.

When Rudy broke the silence, his voice was dangerously quiet. "Is that why you didn't want help?"

His brother remained sullenly silent, and then looked away with a shrug, unable to maintain eye contact.

"Robbie."

"Don't call me that."

"Rabastan, then, why—"

"I didn't need your help!" Rabastan threw his hands in the air and took up the pace that Rudy had abandoned. "I bet it bothers you too, doesn't it? Little Robbie, striking out on his own—"

Rudy laughed. "You didn't do it alone. You had half of Slytherin House helping you," Rudy needled, knowing it wasn't true. Rabastan would never have allowed it. Someone- Regulus, obviously- had simply blown his cover, and Rabastan was forced to compensate.

"They wanted something to do."

"Right. Regulus' prank. "

Rabastan scowled and balled his fist. "Prat."

"I knew that had to be the biggest load of thestral dung I had ever heard. You wouldn't ever let them help you; especially if you wouldn't let me. Too much to prove."

There was silence for a moment and Rabastan gave up his pace to pick at something on the chair. His eyes were narrowed, and his gestures an obviously forced nonchalance. Rudy watched him intently before speaking again.

"Have you at least thought about what you're going to say to Dad?"

Rabastan shrugged and flicked something to the ground. "An opportunity presented itself. I took it."

"How'd you do it?"

There was another pause, and this time Rabastan turned his gaze up at Rudy and smiled slyly. "Not you too." He drawled.

Rudy didn't like the satisfaction he saw in his brother's face; the snide arrogance, the unfaltering reassurance that he was still on his game...

Rudy shrugged uncaringly, crossing his arms across his chest once more and rocking on his heels. "Caught me. I already know how you did it."

Rabastan squinted, and then shook his head. "No you don't."

"Conditional Protean charm," Rudy pronounced. "Not a bad idea, Robbie. Didn't know it would work on previously submitted names, though."

"STOP calling me Robbie!"

Rudy reached out and ruffled Rabastan's hair, but Rabastan shoved his arm aside. Rudy smirked. "I would never have thought of it. I'd have given it up as a bad job, because I didn't think it would work on the names that had already been put in. No wonder you've been so keen on your arithmancy. It wasn't to do with potions at all."

Rabastan had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Everybody had a theory. "It'll never work again," he mechanically implied, just wanting to end the conversation. It was funny to watch other people flounder for ideas, but Rudy... wasn't Rudy smarter than that? A conditional protean charm seemed too easy, too stupid for Rudy.

He and Rudy stared at each other again, each reading the other for his falsities. Maybe—just maybe—Rudy might have figured out how Rabastan had _really_ cheated the Goblet. But he waited for the catch, unwilling to give Rudy anything more to work with.

"No," Rudy agreed at length. "They'll fix it. You going to tell Dad how you did it?"

Rabastan was silent.

"Here's a suggestion," Rudy sneered, "let him tell you how you did it. It's so much easier to pass off the conversation if you're agreeable."

Rabastan ground his teeth. There it was; there was the catch. How many times was his brother going to prove he could see straight through him in one conversation?

"You stay out of trouble," Rudy warned.

"You never let me get in any."

"Only when there are women around," Rudy agreed. "Mom might not come, but you damn well better remember that Aurora lives in this castle, and that Sophie Veloce can't come to her rescue."

A loud, percussive thud hit Rudy in the chest and pressed on his ears. He opened his eyes to see dust and dirt rising off of the floor of the room, giving it a foggy look.

"SHE IS NOT A PART OF MY FAMILY! AND CAN'T BE! SHOULDN'T BE! YOU ARE SO BLOODY OBSESSED WITH HER, EVERYTHING HAS TO BE ABOUT AURORA, ABOUT YOUR STINKING SQUIBSPAWN GIRLFRIEND, because THAT isn't something dad would have been opposed to AT ALL!"

"Robbie—"

Rabastan was circling Rudy with his eyes alight and wand at the ready. As soon as he had regained himself, Rudy hefted himself off the floor and faced him, keeping a level gaze and reaching for his own wand. Rabastan's words came at him with a vengeance; sharp and lethal and full of hate. Rudy had never seen him look so much like his father and for that single moment it was Rabastan, not Rudy that filled the room.

"INSTEAD YOU COME IN HERE, AND LECTURE ME ABOUT OBEDIENCE AND—FRATERNITY—WE DON'T HAVE FRATERNITY IN OUR FAMILY, GODDAMNIT—you tell me that I should have told you, that we're brothers, we're family, if we're going to do something stupid we do it together—YOU WEREN'T EVEN HERE TO TELL! TOO BUSY RUNNING AROUND WITH SQUIBSHIT SINISTRA'S TONGUE DOWN YOUR THROAT—"

"SHUT UP!" Rudy screamed and stepped in front of him, immediately thrusting his wand in Rabastan's face. The glass panes in the windows creaked and the air grew static. "Don't you dare talk that way about her!"

"Bloodtraitor!" Rabastan hissed dangerously. Their noses were practically touching and his wand twitched under Rudy's chin. "I will _not_ help you keep her a secret!"

"OI!" Greg Nott slammed the door to the classroom open and sprayed a bright red stream of sparks at the two brothers. They turned on him in unison, both wands now pointed at his forehead instead of at each other. "Like a chorus line, girlies. Make up." Greg crossed his arms and waited.

Rabastan turned a menacing growl in Rudy's direction and with a cold, sinister voice he refused.

"No."

Rudy snarled back, his wand emitting a few fiery sparks, and watched as Rabastan tried to shoulder his way out the door. Greg smoothly shoved him backwards, drew his wand, and fired a neat repelling charm at Rabastan's chest that sent him flying across the room. Just as quickly, Rudy cast the same spell at Greg in retaliation. Greg bounced off the door lintel and fell, dazed.

Rudy purposefully strode to Rabastan's side, using a single hand to hoist him off the ground. "You okay?"

Rabastan yanked his arm free of Rudy, but nodded.

Once Rabastan had adjusted himself, the two of them walked towards Greg.

"You've killed Nott," Rabastan smirked, watching Greg swooning as he tried to pick himself up. Rudy rolled his eyes and lifted the boy to his feet, then looked into his face for a moment and nodded.

"He's fine, just…"

"Concussed, you bastard," Greg breathed, and reached for the back of his head. After a couple of moments, Greg's eyes cleared and he looked from Rabastan to Rudy, and then back to Rabastan. "You're stupid for entering, when you knew you weren't allowed." Greg turned to Rudy. "Aurora is the worst of all the stupid ideas you have ever had in your life…_but_ we—you and me and Nico—we perform as a unit. No matter who does what stupid shit, we stick together. Dissent among the ranks dictates defeat. You taught me that one, Robbie. Don't your chessmen chant it?"

"Don't call me Robbie."

"I'll stop when you grow out of it."

Rabastan snarled and jabbed his wand back into his robes.

As they left the classroom, Rudy grabbed Rabastan desperately by his shirt collar.

"What the—"

"You have to help me keep him away from her," Rudy interjected pleadingly.

Rabastan wanted to be angry. He wanted cast the unforgivable Imperius charm on Rudy to make him behave. He wanted to shove his fist so hard into Rudy's face he wouldn't even remember the last couple of minutes…but instead Rabastan just nodded darkly. He'd do what he could for both his brother and his girlfriend, no matter what he thought of their decision, and he knew it. Rudy deserved the peace of mind of knowing it too.

* * *

"And then she actually had the balls to tell him she wasn't interested unless he was going to fork out the hundreds of galleons just to pay for her to join him on their vacation! Can you imagine? I would at least pay half; they've only been dating for a few months! A few months! The least she could do is wait until their one year. THEN I could understand her wanting him to pay for the vacation. Daddy doesn't let me take anyone until it's been at least a year, and then he usually asks them to help pay for lodging..."

Aurora sighed. Narcissa was notorious for talking. In fact, she was probably more known for her mouth than any other attribute. No matter the subject, Cissy could turn it into a novel and her chatter was only a relief in instances like this; when no one else in the common room would talk to Aurora. So as annoying as she was, Aurora was grateful to have the company. She nodded absently and stared past Cissy at the group of Slytherin sluts draped over the couches in short skirts and unbuttoned tops. Their sockless legs dangled teasingly over the armrest and their attention was completely diverted by the presence of every male in the room. There wasn't a single book open anywhere; no one was studying. Of course not. They were Slytherins.

"So I told her she needed to be thrifty and only buy the one dress and use the rest of her money to help out Zachariah. I mean, it's not his fault his parents lost their wealth...though if I were him, I'd write my grandparents and move in with them, just to ensure their failure doesn't reflect upon my social standing..."

"CISSY!"

Cissy blinked in surprise at Aurora, who hastily covered up her outburst with a wave of her hand. "Don't Slytherin's ever study?"

"What does that have to do with anything? Ariel is about to drop one of the hottest sixth years because he can't afford her vacation, and all you can think about is studying?" Cissy looked utterly offended and Aurora bowed apologetically.

"My bad, I just can't help but notice the severe lack of...intelligence in the room."

"Why study in the common room when you have a library? Silly Ravenclaws." Cissy giggled and shoved Aurora's shoulder lightly. Aurora shook her head and adjusted her shirt. Where was Rudy and what was taking him so long anyway? "I should take you shopping with Karina. You'd like her. She just got the most beautiful bracelet from her father. Diamond studded with..."

Aurora stifled a yawn and attempted to smile at a passing Slytherin. The sneer she received was so profound it could've passed as a painful smile. It was about as good as she was going to get from these purebloods, anyway.

"Oi, Sinistra!"

Aurora's head snapped around and she caught Parkinson's eye. He beckoned her over to a group he was standing with and she shook her head dutifully. Cissy's chatter was bad; their company would be worse. But he insisted, waving his hand around in dramatic circles until Aurora was forced to stand up.

"Come with me," She hissed at Cissy.

"Where to? Oh! Hello boys!" Cissy was up and immediately over to the group without hesitation. Aurora followed slowly and lingered behind her friend while she made useless introductions. It was amazing what a group of interested boys could do for Narcissa. She was never so happy as when in the spotlight, whereas Aurora was much happier hiding in the shadows void of such shallow attention. Parkinson elbowed Aurora lightly. "You looked like you needed a rescue."

"Out of the cauldron and into the fire?" Aurora asked warily.

Before Parkinson could respond, Higgs pulled Aurora into the group by her elbow and waved at the other boys.

"This is the one you've been hearing about," He announced proudly, showing Aurora off like some sort of freak at the zoo. Aurora tried tugging her arm away, but was unsuccessful so she smiled unconvincingly at the boys were now snickering and nodding in approval at her.

"And what, exactly, have you been telling them?"

"So this is Rudy's little minx? Never thought it'd be a Ravenclaw..." MacNair mused, ruffling the badge on her robes. Aurora stepped back and shot a glare at Parkinson.

"What? I didn't have to tell them; it's all over the school what a show you put on!" Parkinson laughed good-naturedly, but Aurora didn't find it funny.

"I was drunk!"

"So we've heard!" The boys all snickered again, and another one of them held out his hand to Aurora with a teasing smile. "My name is William Whitmore. Any chance you could introduce me to some of your friends?"

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Sure. Which would you like to meet first? Severus Snape or Rudy's fist?"

"Shot down, "Parkinson shook his head with a pitying smile. The others punched the boy in the shoulder and he melted back into their masses, allowing a different, slightly taller boy, to step forward. Evan Rosier. Aurora tensed, knowing the boy's dangerous reputation with girls, especially the ones he liked.

"So are these shows for sale? How much you charging?"

"I think the real question is how many drinks?" Another voice chipped in.

Aurora deadpanned at Parkinson. "As lovely as this has been, I have better things to be doing."

"I think I'd like to watch that," Rosier drawled again, closing in.

Another round of uproarious laughter. MacNair reached for her elbow, but Parkinson jerked him back, a warning evident in the look on his face. Aurora took advantage of the distraction to drag Cissy away, red in the face and struggling to keep her temper under control. Cissy had no idea why Aurora had ruined her fun, but she went along with her nonetheless and camped out with her in the far corner of the room once again. Aurora glued her eyes to the stairs, waiting for Rudy to come back. She didn't hear a word Cissy said for her ears were trained on the conversation being held after her departure from the snotty group of Slytherin boys. She was paranoid; how had word gotten around so fast? Better to be unnoticed, than noticed as a tramp, and she solemnly swore she would never drink like that again...at least, not in public.

Just when she was about to give up on Rudy and head back to their attic, he emerged with Rabastan and Nott. Aurora sprang out of her seat and cut Cissy off mid-sentence to run over and greet him, and when he saw her, his smile was relieved. She didn't miss the energy in his eyes or the tension in his stance, but he wrapped a gentle arm around her waist and kissed her temple softly.

"What's going on starshine?" He asked quietly. Rabastan stalked past him and made his way immediately into the dormitories. Nott nodded vaguely to Aurora and meandered over to Parkinson and the rest of his group, still rubbing the back of his head.

"Get me out of here," She pleaded, pressing herself into his side. "Everyone's talking about the party, and Parkinson-"

"Circe sake, what'd they do?" Rudy was immediately striding over to him, but Aurora grabbed his wrist.

"No Rudy, just drop it. I just want to get out of here."

Rudy furrowed his brow, but stopped. "You sure?"

"It's nothing, it's just embarrassing. Don't worry about it, okay?" Rudy nodded and Aurora pulled him back to her, re-wrapping his arm around her waist. "I've done my girlfriend duty, and by the look on your face I'd say you did your big brother duty, so let's go relax."

Rudy nodded and kissed her temple again, nodding in the direction of his friends who got the message that he would not be returning for the evening.

* * *

_We respond gratefully to all our reviews on our profile page. _


	20. Procrastinating

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 20

* * *

Rudy nodded to Aurora as he reentered their tiny attic space, surveying the way she had her books spread out over her lap. He loved looking at her there, the way her parchment rolled off and onto the floor, and the way she looked so out of place among the old boxes and dust. All bright colors and feminine flourishes. Her blonde hair, draped over her shoulder.

"So?" She asked, looking up at him. "When's the big day?"

Rudy shrugged out of his jacket and pushed his sleeves up again. "No day," he responded carefully, trying not to let his relief show on his face. "My parents are detained for the foreseeable future, and they turned down the press invitation. Looks like you don't get to meet them after all."

Aurora grimaced appropriately. "They won't come? Where are they that they can't get here?"

Rudy swallowed the details down the back of his throat. Why did he all of a sudden feel the need to tell her what Rabastan's letter had said? "Who even knows," Rudy sighed, sitting down next to her. "I'd write to Jeorga- again- and ask her to come, but Rabastan would probably kill me."

"Jeorga?" Aurora asked, tentatively probing Rudy about his family. He almost never spoke of any of them besides his mother. He was even tight lipped on Rabastan most of the time.

"My mother's Aunt, so, our Great Aunt. She's the only family left on my mother's side. Real hex of a woman, though. She means well, but she's not easy to take in large doses." Rudy liked her implicitly. She was mean as a snake, and hateful to everybody, but Rudy saw through it. She was also the only woman alive that could sass his father and get away with it. And she loved his mother, which was all it took for Rudy to love her back. Even if she didn't particularly like him and Rabastan all that much.

"My grandmother can be like that," Aurora responded. "She's rich, and insufferable, with all the rules and frills... still, though, she's family."

"Yeah," Rudy replied, leaning his head back. Moved by the stress on his face, Aurora reached out and rubbed his leg affectionately.

"How's Rabastan taking the news?"

"Badly," Rudy snapped. "I don't know what he expected, we were told explicitly _not_ to enter, and then when he stages his grand coup he expects some kind of standing ovation? Hardly. He's lucky he doesn't get jerked out of school altogether."

Her brow creasing at Rudy's outburst, Aurora folded her arms across her chest. "Has anybody related to him admitted that it was pretty exceptional that he's a champion?"

"I don't know." Rudy flatly responded.

"So he pulls this big stunt, and his idolized big brother yells at him for it, and his parents don't care enough to come to his ceremony, and the only people that seem excited are the people that Regulus Black sicced on him?"

"He does not idolize me."

Aurora flat out laughed. "Of course he does. Everyone does. Greg Nott thinks the sun shines out of your butt."

"You mean it doesn't?" Rudy smirked at Aurora, lifting his head off the back of the couch, and Aurora slugged him for the quip.

"My point being, Rudy dearest, he has a right to be a little upset."

"Rabastan needed somebody to yell at him-" Rudy defended himself.

Aurora put a quelling hand on his arm. "I didn't say you shouldn't have handled it differently. I'm saying you should cut him a little slack."

Rudy made a noncommittal noise. He was glad his parents weren't coming, and he thought Rabastan should be happy about it as well. Aurora poked him in the side and he jumped a little. "What?"

She shrugged. "You looked pokable."

"Pokable?" Rudy repeated, a hint of a smile on his lips.

Aurora nodded and went back to her potions essay.

"I'll show you who's pokable," Rudy replied, and jabbed Aurora in the stomach. She glared at him, and he lifted his eyebrows tauntingly. "I could always poke you with something else," he offered, and Aurora blushed and tugged her cushion out from behind her to hit Rudy with it. Laughing, the two wrestled for the cushion, attempting to poke each other amidst the fight, their yelps and laughs getting louder and louder as the competition went on. Rudy, of course, eventually wrenched the pillow away and tossed it across the attic, mercilessly tickling his girlfriend until she was gapsing for breath and half off the couch. Her books and parchment were hopelessly scattered, and they were both lucky her ink bottle hadn't spilled. "Rodolphus Lestrange," Aurora began, but Rudy tugged her back up onto his lap, leaning her head back so that he could kiss her. She was beautiful, the flush of laughter in her cheeks and bright in her eyes.

They were interrupted by his watch alarm. Sighing, Rudy replaced Aurora on the couch, reluctantly letting her out of his arms, and shut it off.

"Sorry babe," Rudy apologised, and pecked her on the forehead. "I gotta go."

"Go? Already?" Aurora stuck her bottom lip out cutely, and Rudy laughed.

"Learned a few tricks from Narcissa, have you?"

Aurora's look turned flat. "And here she promised me that at least one of them would work. Do you really have to go?" She pulled the blanket tighter around her, trying to make up for Rudy's sudden absence from her side.

"Yep. I gotta go back down to my dormitory and pick up my playbook. Flint will kill me if I don't show up with it." Rudy pecked Aurora on the forehead and grinned.

"But—Quidditch isn't even in season—the Triwizard—"

"Ah, we don't care. We booked the pitch. I want to fly, anyway. I'll see you in a few hours, yeah?"

"Fine. I'll do potions." Aurora leaned down and began gathering her materials back onto her lap.

"Without me?"

Exasperated, she looked up from the mess she was trying to tidy. "Rudy! You can do your own potions essay!"

"But I won't do it unless—"

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Okay, then. I'll find something else to do, you whiner."

Rudy shot her a grin and backed out of the library.

* * *

Aurora liked Quidditch. Who _didn't_ like Quidditch? It was exciting, the strategy of it was addicting, every sense alert. Aurora loved it because she could feel her mind working as the game moved around her, as though literal gears spun in her head at a hundred times their normal speed, as though she were at her fullest, brightest, and most intelligent.

She wasn't a bad chaser… she just tended to get lost in the game. Always keeping an eye on every player, she sometimes forgot to keep one eye in her own play. Rudy kept telling her it was about instinct—if she would just shut her brain off and PLAY, Ravenclaw would score higher, and the other players on her team would be driven by the same single-minded urge to win that she was, and Ravenclaw would be a contender for the cup!

She laid back on the makeshift couch and sighed, letting the one of Rudy's comics she'd been reading fall to the floor, bored with it. It was especially uninviting without Rudy to give back-story and life to the pictures. She glanced around the rest of their attic home, and realized that most of the things she saw and used on a daily basis she had never actually looked at. There were stacks of books they propped their feet on; boxes that she hadn't seen the insides of; sheaves of paper in haphazard stacks littered the floor on either side of Rudy's desk, pushed off as he made room for other work.

She idly fingered one of the stacks, and yanked a sheet of paper out from the middle.

_Dear Mr. Stockwell,_

_We regret to inform you that the five poems you submitted to our journal for review will not be included with our upcoming issues. Our board of review finds the lines juvenile, in some places, and wandering or haphazard in others._

_We encourage you, as with all our entrants, to keep writing! The Wandering Scribe welcomes further submissions from you and your colleagues. Thank you for considering us for the presentation of your work._

_Regards,_

_William Castellini_

_Editor_

_The Wandering Scribe Literary Review_

Aurora gazed sadly at it. She hadn't known Rudy wanted to submit his work for publication, and especially hadn't considered the possibility that it might have been rejected. How brave of him to show it off to her. How strong of him to continue to be proud of his words. She glanced at the date—some three years previously. She rolled off the couch and shuffled through the stack: old assignments; scraps of parchment with much writing and crossing out; old envelopes and bits of wax, but not a single letter; a receipt for two sickles… no more rejection letters. She wondered if it was the only time he'd dared to write in.

"I hope not," she sighed to herself, and abruptly fell into a fit of sneezing. "Bloody dust—I'm sick of it—" She stared around at the dusty attic, gave her wand an experimental twitch—some dust rolled across the floor but nothing more substantial happened. Aurora scowled at the cleared spot. She'd have to make a note to look up a few household spells to try and get this place livable, whether or not Rudy liked the dust.

She leaned back against the leg of the desk. She could go downstairs, and actually sleep in her own bed for a change. A nap sounded nice. She could shower and sit down with Narcissa…

She cringed. Narcissa had finally snared herself a Durmstrang. If Narcissa wasn't around him, it'd be all she was talking about. It wasn't dark, so she couldn't go to the Astronomy tower; she'd told Rudy to wait to do her potions essay…

Aurora sighed again, and induced another round of sneezing. "That's IT! If I can't dust, I'm cleaning." She stood up, cast a bubble-head charm on herself, and then bent over again to tidy the stack of papers.

She suddenly chewed her lip. Should she be moving anything? What if Rudy lost something because of her? She frowned, and after at least getting the parchments to lie flat and uniform, she placed the stack back on the floor.

Aurora exhaled, the charm fogging briefly. Maybe she should just sit down and read another comic.

She flopped back down onto their pillows, and reached for the least dust-covered stack of comic books, carelessly flipping the top one open.

Her mouth fell open, and she gasped, continuing to stare at the picture that laid open before her. She—it—

She shook the magazine in her hands, unable to force her fingers to let it go, and then suddenly it dropped, the pages fluttering slightly and kicking up a small cloud of dust. She tried to cover her mouth with her hands, but the charm blocked her; she tried to cover her eyes, but she was again stopped by her own magic. In frustration, she took the spell off, caught another sight of the magazine, and clenched her eyes shut tightly.

"Aurora, it's not like it's nothing you've ever seen before. Calm down." She sat there for a moment, the nakedness pressing against the lids of her eyes… and then she opened them again, glanced down at the settled dust.

"Definitely not ready yet. Breathe...If he can look at it, you can look at it."

She opened her eyes tentatively, winking down at the buxom woman as she winked back. Aurora tentatively bent down and picked up the magazine.

She was overcome by a fit of giggles, and she laughed all the harder as she shuffled through the pages. So this was what Rudy kept in his private Hogwarts room! This was what he was up to when he wasn't writing poetry—looking at dirty magazines—

She tried to imagine Rudy up here by himself, staring at the pages with his sly little grin. She fell over into the pillows laughing. It was so funny! Rudy! Her Rudy, up here with his—his—_porn_…

As she let go of the pages with one hand, a fold-out fluttered open somewhere in the middle. She flipped to it, greeted by three seductive women; one, her arms over her head, twisted awkwardly to cover her ears with the opposite hand; the next, on her knees, one arm flung over her eyes and the other splayed across her stomach; the last, staring out at the reader, one finger over her sumptuous lips, the other low and beckoning.

"Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil," read the caption. "Photography by Raymond Wright." The names of the models were not given.

She examined the three of them critically, all brunettes, all flawlessly tanned, all immodestly thrust towards the camera with their chests heaving and their cheeks flushed. Long legged and not so thin, she noticed, everything about them round and rosy. Abruptly they all stood and swapped with each other, smiling and touching seductively as they past their mates.

Aurora dropped the magazine, consumed by giggles again. The pictures _moved…_ what a way to look at your dirty pictures, as if they touched you themselves. Your own dirty little peep show, whenever you wanted. Wizards! Men!

* * *

When Rudy returned from his Quidditch practice, smelling of soap and fresh laundry, Aurora burst into another fit of giggles, back issues of Playwizard littering the floor around her.

Rudy squinted at her briefly, and then looked at the floor.

"UH," he started, picking them all up and fumbling them shut, cramming the foldouts back into their covers, "I—uh—not supposed to—"

Aurora couldn't speak for the laughter. He was red to his toes! Rudy was utterly mortified. His girlfriend looking at his old men's magazines, and laughing at him. He had to get it put away, but his hands wouldn't work right; the foldouts kept falling their flattened and de-creased way out of the covers; he was dropping things and getting flashes of Aurora posing naked in a hundred different places while he tried to think of the words to say to get himself out of it.

The remainder of his armful of issues slid fantastically out of his flailing arms and spilled onto the floor. Rudy ran both hands through his freshly combed hair, and then let out a small nervous chuckle himself. "So," he said, as Aurora shook with silent, unsuppressed giggles, "Uh, yeah. You know. Every boy has them, so uh—get used to it."

He flushed and looked away. "I can't believe you got into my stack of Playwizards…" Suddenly, the situation seemed hilarious to Rudy as well, and he started to laugh too. Aurora's giggling burst out, shrill and catching, and soon they were both sneezing and gasping for breath.

Rudy grinned sheepishly at her, and then had a sudden idea. Suavely he swept up the nearest magazine and flipped it open.

"Hey Aurora," he said. "Why did the squirrel lay on his stomach?"

Aurora looked curiously at him. "To keep his nuts warm," Rudy answered. Aurora fell over laughing.

"There's some pretty good stuff in these things—"

"Rudy!"

"There is! Literature and everything—they dish out a little DH Lawrence sometimes, if they don't see anything they like in the poetry reviews going around town—see? Look. They always have Lawrence in here. 'Paradise Re-entered' and 'Song of a Man who is Loved,' both.'"

He smirked at her, flushed and unable to stop laughing, tear tracks on her cheeks from where her mirth had spilled out of her eyes.

Rudy cleared his throat and began to read. "Paradise Re-Entered," he announced.

"Through the strait gate of passion,  
Between the bickering fire  
Where the flames of fierce love tremble  
On the body of fierce desire:  
To the intoxication,  
The mind, fused down like a bead,  
Flees in its agitation  
The flames' stiff speed:  
At last to calm incandescence  
Burned clean by remorseless hate,  
Now, at the day's renascence  
We approach the gate.

...We near the flame-burnt porches  
Where the brands of the angels, like torches  
Whirl, -in these perilous marches  
Pausing to sigh;"

Rudy looked up at Aurora, staring at him with her dark eyes, her chest still heaving with runaway breaths, but the laughter replaced by some other thought, some other flush creeping into her face.

"We look back on the withering roses  
The stars, in their sun-dimmed closes,  
Where 'twas given us to repose us  
Sure on our sanctity;  
Beautiful, candid lovers,  
Burnt out of our earthy covers,  
We might have nestled like plovers  
In the fields of eternity.  
There, sure in sinless being,  
All seen, and then all seeing,  
In us life unto death agreeing,  
We might have lain.  
But we storm the angel-guarded  
Gates of the long-discarded  
Garden, which God has boarded  
Against our pain.  
The Lord of Hosts, and the Devil  
Are left on Eternity's level  
Field, and as victors we travel  
To Eden home.  
Back beyond good and evil  
Return we. Eve dishevel  
Your hair for the bliss-drenched revel  
On our primal loam."

Rudy looked up to find Aurora's hair torn out of her ponytail, and her eyes wide and dark inches from his own. She grabbed his collar with both hands, tugged him to her mouth—he was lost in her kiss—he toppled backwards…

Aurora snogged him until she ran out of breath, and then tore herself away, shaking Rudy's hand's free from her curtain of blond hair.

"You," she said slowly, "are incredibly sexy."

Rudy blinked at her. "Right back 'atcha," he said, slightly dazed.

She scratched his chest lightly and giggled. Rudy threw one knee up, knocked over Aurora's carefully settled stack of papers, and ground her into the dust of the floor with his kisses.

* * *

"If we get caught, and I get detention, I will hand-feed your ass to the nearest thesteral," Aurora whispered grimly. It only made him smirk bigger.

"We won't get caught," Rudy said over his shoulder. "Now shut up."

Aurora rolled her eyes but continue to follow him silently through the dark corridors. It was late. Later than they were usually up. But somehow the two had gotten into a bad habit of getting sidetracked from their homework, and ended up doing it far later into the night than was probably healthy. Tonight had been no exception. Aurora's neck was raw thanks to Rudy, but her homework had not been so nicely attended to. And she had a lot of it. Lucky for Rudy, tonight he didn't have nearly as much to do, but Aurora was in a slightly quirky mood and had no intention of letting him sleep if she had to stay up. So while she worked, they talked quietly or he read his own leisure material—and then she made the mistake of mentioning a craving for ice cream. Rudy had laughed at first, joking about her being pregnant. But the more she talked about it, the chocolate syrup and whipped cream and cherries, the more Rudy came to crave it too.

So he had proposed this wonderful idea. He knew the way down to the kitchens and he knew the elves would not be there either. "It'll be fun," He had told Aurora. They both knew Filch was scared of him, so even if he caught them they had little to fear. Aurora, however, now that she was out of the safety of their nest, was more concerned with Dumbledore or one of the other professors coming across them. Dumbledore was a particularly embarrassing thought, especially with the state she was in, and even though he wouldn't give her detention, any other professor wouldn't hesitate to do so. Rudy didn't seem fazed by any of her warnings along the way. Already they had hidden behind a tapestry, slipped into a classroom, and held their breath around a corner to avoid the professors on hall duty. This fueled Rudy's determination to get to the kitchens. Aurora just wanted to drag him back to their attic.

"This is the last time I ever tell you about one of my cravings…" Aurora grumbled.

Rudy chuckled under his breath. "Would you relax? What happened to that rebel I've heard so much about?"

"I left her upstairs with my unfinished homework," She replied dryly. "Rudy, seriously! I don't want detention AGAIN…"

"Ssshhh!" Rudy stopped abruptly and held his hand up to silence her. Aurora obeyed and strained to hear what he had heard. And that's when she noticed the footsteps coming up from behind them…and as they got closer, she heard two distinct voices.

"This way," Rudy yanked her arm to the side where a small door was.

Aurora grumbled, but was shoved into the potion's closet where something from a shelf immediately fell and hit her in the head. She cursed under her breath and tried to get her foot out of an empty box, but was deterred when Rudy shoved himself in after her and shut the door as best he could behind them. Try as he may, though, the closet was already packed full of stuff, so much so that Aurora's slim figure was about enough to fill it, and that left no room for Rudy's large form. So he held the door as close to being shut as he could, leaving both he and Aurora immobile.

"Great plan genius," Aurora hissed in the dark. Rudy's hand was immediately over her mouth.

"Give it a rest, Sinistra."

She raised her eyebrow at him, but he wasn't watching. His attention was on the hall where he watched Filch approach with the Headmaster. Filch was complaining about all the students he was catching snogging in the hallways, and insisting that Dumbledore needed to come down on said offenders with harsher punishments. Dumbledore looked tired, but nodded absently, more concerned with seeing the damage Peeves had done to the portraits earlier in the night. Both continued on past without seeing Rudy or Aurora's ajar door, but Rudy waited until they were long out of sight before he dared turn back to Aurora. He smirked at her through the dark, and her teeth found their way into his palm.

"You could just say please," He jerked his hand away with a shake.

"Coast clear, captain?" Aurora sneered. Rudy only chuckled.

"Aye aye," He tried shifting but a crate of potions slid from the shelf and fell against his shoulder. He immediately froze and used one hand to precariously slide it back on it's shelf. "Anyway, this is how you like me isn't it? Stuck in a tight space up against you…"

His chuckle turned into a laugh and Aurora remained rigid. "Don't try and turn me on, Rodolphus Lestrange. Until we are safely back up in the attic, I'm going to remain disgruntled."

"If you were turned on, you wouldn't be so difficult," Rudy leaned forward to try and kiss her but she caught his chin in her hand.

"Not going to happen. Move out, sailor."

He grinned and slowly untangled himself from the closet and when he emerged into the hallway, he paused to listen for further intruders. It was silent, so he signaled for Aurora to follow him. Aurora, however, was not so smooth in her exit. She had completely forgotten about her foot being crammed in a box—her first concern being the bottle of red liquid teetering next to her shoulder. She tripped, yelped, and while she fell into Rudy the bottle of red liquid crashed onto the floor and shattered. Rudy managed to catch Aurora before she hit the floor, but the bottle had made a sickeningly loud _crash!_

Both of them cringed and froze in their spot, afraid that the commotion would alert someone for sure. But the only ones who noticed were the portraits, and they simply grumbled and scolded them for being out of bed and snogging in the closet. Rudy apologized quietly and assured them the snogging would be taken elsewhere. Aurora, meanwhile, grumbled and harrumphed.

"We were NOT snogging," she snapped, followed by an immediate sigh. "Ice cream is not worth all this."

Rudy patiently helped her disengaged herself from the closet and then shut the door on all the supplies while she straightened herself out.

"You okay?"

He received a mocking glare in return.

"Want that kiss yet?"

She glared some more and one of the portraits replied, "Take it elsewhere you!"

He grinned smugly at her and took her hand again, starting off down the hallway towards their intended course. Much to Aurora's relief, they did not happen upon another professor in their little journey through the castle, but they still had the trip back which, at this rate, was promising to be just as much of a disaster.

Rudy pointed his wand at the kitchen door and mumbled a series of passwords that opened it. Aurora looked at him, impressed.

"How did you know?"

Rudy shrugged and flicked his wand to light the candles as they went inside. "How does every Slytherin know? Our parents."

Aurora shook her head. "Of course."

She glanced around the large, cluttered space—she had never had taken time to consider what it would look like down here and the spaciousness surprised her. The appliances were smaller than she was used to; for the elves, probably. And the ceiling was strung with pots and pans of every shape and size. Counters were neatly washed but numerous, and along the wall were two large doors for the freezer and fridge no doubt. Rudy went over to the freezer door as Aurora sat down at one of the counters, pulling up two stools and taking out her wand. As he gathered the ice cream, she summoned two bowls and spoons with a shiver. It was chillier than she had imagined too.

Rudy returned a second later, arms bursting with two buckets of ice cream—one vanilla and one chocolate. He also had her whipped cream and chocolate syrup, and a small container of cherries and nuts. Aurora's stomach grumbled just looking at it. Maybe the hassle was worth it after all.

"Bon appetite!" Rudy grinned, setting the clutter down in front of her and immediately going for the vanilla bucket. Aurora snagged the chocolate and filled her dish to the brim, and then proceeded to drown it in chocolate syrup. Rudy watched in astonishment.

"You women and your chocolate…are you sure you used the entire bottle?"

Aurora grinned and handed it to him. "No such thing as too much chocolate." She shook the bottle of whipped cream and squirted some in her mouth, smacking her lips and giggling. "Now you can kiss me."

Rudy laughed and set the syrup aside after pouring a generous amount on his own ice cream. "My pleasure."

He leaned over and helped remove all the remaining whipped cream from her lips, breaking away with a grin. "Mmmm, delicious."

"I know I am," Aurora smirked and dug her spoon into the mountain of chocolaty goodness.

Rudy piled on the nuts and whipped cream and then ate his in silence. It was heavenly. Definitely hit the craving and was well worth Aurora's grumbling all the way down. She seemed to have calmed down considerably too, now that she was being attended to by her chocolate and cherries. She pulled them off the stem with a snap and closed her eyes as she chewed.

"It's like an orgasm in a dish…" She said quietly.

Rudy choked on his previous bite and his laugh sounded more like a gag.

"Come again?"

Aurora giggled and swallowed her most recent cherry. "You heard me…can you tie the stem with your tongue?"

Rudy was still recovering from her earlier statement. "What? No...Can you?"

She nodded and placed the stem on her tongue, closing her mouth, and pulling it out a moment later tied in a perfect knot.

"Wow," Rudy swallowed. "That's hot."

Aurora smirked and set it aside. "It's something." She took another bite. "Enjoying your ice cream?"

Rudy nodded and laughed again. "Not sure it qualifies as an orgasm, but it's pretty damn good."

Aurora grinned sideways at him and once they had finished their bowls, Aurora began gathering their dishes and siphoning away their melted mess.

"No no, just leave it. The elves will get it in the morning." Rudy waved Aurora back towards the table.

She glanced uncertainly at the sticky dishes in her hands. "We just leave it here for somebody else to clean up? When we weren't even supposed to be in here at all?"

"You clean it up then," Rudy strode towards the kitchen door, cracked it open, and peeked out.

Aurora stood rigid for a moment, and then called out to him. "Excuse me? How about YOU clean it up. I'm not your elf."

Rudy slowly glanced back towards Aurora and immediately recognized the flash in her eyes. Absently, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the dishes as he glanced out the door again. "I could swear I heard someone…tergeo."

Suddenly, Aurora shrieked. Rudy whipped his head back inside to see her hair dripping soapsuds onto the floor. "I will—if you think this is funny—"

Rudy was back over to her in an instant. It wasn't funny, until she'd mentioned it, and the sudden humor of it struck him so unexpectedly he couldn't repress a slight laugh. "I was going for the dishes," he said calmly, helping to wring out her hair. "I'm sorry—I missed—" Rudy shook silently with another laugh.

Aurora wrenched her way out of his grasp and continued to wring out her hair. "And now you can clean the floor AND the dishes—" she reached out and plucked his wand from where he'd stuck it in his pants—"and no more mishaps!" She drew out her own wand, glared mockingly at Rudy, and ran it through her hair several times. The magic dried and smoothed it, and Aurora shortly pinned it up behind her head with the wand itself.

"Honestly," she said, watching as Rudy dug out a couple of rags and pushed them across the soap suds with his foot. Gripped by a sudden thought, she spoke up again. "You know, Rudy, a lady has a better view of your ass when you bend over. Plus, your mopping is inefficient. Your foot does hardly as good a job as your hands would."

Rudy froze, looking at Aurora in bewilderment. "Excuse me?" he blushed slightly. "Now who's the elf?"

"You owe me," she mouthed silently, and sat herself down on one of the counters, crossing her long legs slowly, one over the other. There was just something about being in the kitchen—Aurora loved to cook, when she was home with her parents. When her parents lived in a place with a kitchen. Even though she'd never before been in the Hogwarts kitchens, she felt at home here. It was her turf. The confidence of it filled her with recklessness.

Rudy was still staring at her, his mouth hanging open slightly. He cleared his throat. "I thought you were resolutely disgruntled—"

"I had chocolate," Aurora cut him off, "and I feel better now."

They stared at each other for a moment.

Rudy bent slowly at the waist, sure to afford Aurora at good look at his behind—and then abruptly flung one of the soaking rags up at Aurora. She yelped in surprise, and flung it back towards him—water flew everywhere—and above Rudy and Aurora's playful laughter fell more voices.

Nott and Parkinson stumbled into the kitchen, tears pouring from their eyes with their laughter. "I thought you were going to do it, Lestrange, I really did—"

"I had no idea you were doing it in the KITCHENS—you really are slumming—holy shit…"

Aurora and Rudy gaped at each other, and then both began talking at once.

"I don't do it with anybody!"

"How long have you been there?"

"Slumming?"

The two newcomers were overcome with laughter, and could no more answer than direct a funeral.

"I'm sorry," Rudy said, turning to Aurora. "I had no idea—I don't know how THEY had any idea—"

Nott recovered first. "I just fancied a brandy, but I didn't know it'd come with a show…"

"WATCH IT, Greg—" Rudy jabbed a threatening finger in his friend's direction, and Greg threw up his hands.

"This is your evening hideaway, then?" Parkinson picked himself up off the floor, adjusted his sumptuous robe, and raised his eyebrows.

"No," retorted Rudy. "I have several, and this is actually the first time I've brought her down here. Get your brandy and go."

"Ah, shut up and have a glass yourself." Greg thrust a small amount of the amber liquid towards Rudy. Rudy set it down on the table.

"Come on, Aurora."

"No," she said abruptly. Everyone turned and looked at her. "I like the kitchen. Let's stay and have a drink with them, Rudy."

Nott and Parkinson shared a look. Parkinson turned to Aurora. "You want one, then?"

Aurora hesitated, and then nodded.

They enlarged one of the tables and cushioned the chairs, and eventually all sat down with their glasses.

"So?" Rudy asked. "What are we toasting?"

Nott and Parkinson glanced at each other and grinned. "Adventure," they said together, and raised their glasses. Everyone sipped small, but small was hardly small enough for Aurora. It was thick and sweet, and sharp as it ran down the back of her throat. She only just managed to avoid coughing. She set her glass back down on the table and resolved not to touch it again.

"Adventure?" Rudy inquired, looking at his mates. They were up to something.

"Rudy, we've been meaning to ask you if you're in. We're going to sneak out of school." Nott leveled his gaze at Rudy.

"What? It can't be done!"

"Oh, yes it can. With the proper passwords—"

"Which we have now obtained—" Parkinson chimed in.

"We think we can get into Hogsmeade undetected."

Rudy glanced at them both. "You're idiots."

"Ah, what's life without a little risk? You'd know about that, wouldn't you—BOTH of you—"

"Yes," Aurora replied, smirking. "But Rudy is worth the risk. What do you need in Hogsmeade so badly that you can't wait until the weekend to get it?"

"The Uselesses are going to play on a Wednesday! How are we going to get permission to get out of school to see a concert?"

Aurora blinked at him. "The Uselesses?" She sneered and leaned back in her chair. "You're right, Rudy, they are idiots."

"I suppose you don't even listen to wizard's music—"

"Yes I do," she snapped, "I just prefer something with a little more musicality—"

"Like what?"

"Glacier. Even Nina is better than the Uselesses! I like Cauldron Bottom Stirring Spoon—"

Parkinson leaned forward. "Did you get the new Spoon album?"

Aurora nodded. "It's a little heavier of a sound, but it works for them."

Parkinson nodded slowly. "I thought so, too."

"Wish they'd come to Hogsmeade," Aurora sighed.

"You know, Rudy," Parkinson drawled, "I think your girlfriend might be okay after all."

Nott critically surveyed them both. The way Rudy's arm was draped across the back of Aurora's chair; the way she actually participated in conversation… perhaps the party the other night had broken her in, so to speak. Maybe Parkinson was right. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

They talked for awhile, bantered about the pros and cons of sneaking out of the school, and who they should bring with them. Music came up again. Every brandy glass but Aurora's sat empty.

Nott eventually stood up, and finished it for her in one gulp, winking at her. "Well, lovebirds, we're to bed." They crept as far as the central staircase together, and then separated. "Lestrange," whispered Nott. Rudy turned to look back at him. "You need to talk to your parents."

"I don't care what they think, either." Rudy turned away.

"The praetor—"

"Go to bed, Greg, and stop butting your hippogriff beak of a nose in things that don't concern you."

Rudy caught up to Aurora and clasped her hand.

"What did Greg want?"

"Oh," Rudy mumbled. "Just giving me shit. They like you, to sit down and talk like that, you know."

"They're not bad guys themselves. I wish they weren't stupid enough to sneak out."

"Mmmm," Rudy replied.

"I'm glad we went," she said wistfully. "I love the kitchen."

Rudy recalled her earlier taunts, and the way her legs had so neatly folded themselves over each other as she stared at him. "So I could tell—any particular reason?"

Aurora glanced sideways and shrugged, an embarrassed smile on her face. "Kitchens turn me on. You turn me on. Chocolate turns me on…"

"Remind me to keep an emergency chocolate bar on hand, in case you start spewing French at me—I'll just feed you the chocolate to keep you happy."

"Rudy, you keep me happy."

Rudy smiled softly at her. "You are my happiness." He kissed her lightly, and then swatted her butt to send her up the ladder into the attic. "Can't snog you again until your homework is done, though. So get busy, Ravenclaw."

Aurora did finish her homework that evening, though it was punctuated by many kisses. She slept well, woke up happy and refreshed. Maybe Ravenclaws could get along with Slytherins, after all.

* * *

_Poetic excerpts and mentions in this chapter were taken from "Paradise Re-entered" and "Song of a Man Who Is Loved," both penned by D. H. Lawrence. Access to the full text of each poem can be found on our profile page. All remaining references to the poetic publishing process, in addition to our knowledge of marauder-era music, are fictional and spring solely from our own imagination. Any resemblance to actual existing magazines or bands is purely coincidental... except in the case of the Playwizards, and we think you can figure out the inspiration for that one well enough on your own. _

* * *

_We respond gratefully to all our reviews on our profile page._


	21. A Worthy Competitor

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 21

* * *

Bellatrix grabbed Snape by the wand, knowing he wouldn't let go. She twisted the end in her own fist, jerking his elbow awkwardly down to the window ledge, mussing the dust she'd been staring at for hours, thinking. Trying to think where all her books had gone, why the library no longer sated her. Why Dumbledore had convinced her to come back into the castle when what she'd wanted was to go down into the Forest. And now Snape; Snape who thought her a friend; Snape standing there reminding her of her powerlessness...

"Do it, or get lost. You're breathing my air again." She let go and he stood up, momentarily offended, and then he directed his frustration elsewhere at the look on her face.

"She's…occupied," he sneered.

Bella glanced across the Slytherin common room, where at the door Aurora Sinistra stood, confidently no less, talking casually with Nott and Parkinson. She was waiting for Rudy, no doubt, and by the looks of it they were going out for a two-on-two evening quidditch match. How Aurora had gotten so chummy with all the Slytherin guys was beyond Bella. Maybe the newest rumor was true. Perhaps Aurora really did get around. She certainly had Rudy wrapped around her finger…but this was just alarming. Bella felt her confidence waver, a moment only. It was overtaken by rage. Even the brief acknowledgment of Aurora's superiority was unthinkable. She was not a worthy adversary, she squib spawned, and dirty, and she deserved to be dead but Bella didn't know how to kill her. Snape made an irritating noise, and she whirled on him, a nearly understanding smile crossing her face.

"You were her best friend, Snape. Just stop by to say hello. She'll talk to you."

Snape hardly noticed Bella's mood swing, his eyes glued on Aurora. "What will I say?"

"_Hello_ is a good start," Bella sarcastically advised. "Then fill her in on all the jacking off you do at night when you think about her. It about measures up to the amount you TALK about her."

Snape curled his lip at her.

"Get off my couch or I will hex you."

"Okay, okay, I'll go…" Snape stood and brushed out his permanently wrinkled robes. "I'll just ask how she is or something. She'll probably just drool over Rudy though…"

His grumbling trailed off and Bella raised an eyebrow.

"You keep your mouth shut about her and Rudy," She hissed. "Now go, or-"

"I know, I know. You'll hex me." Snape waved her off with disdain. "Buggar off."

Bella smirked and turned back to her windowsill, glancing unnoticably up at Snape every now and then as he awkwardly made his way over to Aurora and the other Slytherins. For a minute it almost seemed he wouldn't follow through with it, judging by the way he slowed his pace and lingered off to the side, hoping Aurora would catch sight of him, nonchalantly fingering the tassels on the tapestries, and start the conversation herself. But she was engrossed in some sort of friendly argument with Parkinson and with no intention of noticing anyone, unless his name started with an R. Rudy, however, had still not come down.

After what felt like minutes upon minutes of awkward lingering, Aurora finally noticed Snape and that gave him enough courage to approach her. The conversation seemed to be driven by Aurora mostly—her cheerful smile making Snape blush and fidget to the point that Bella felt stupid just watching it. Snape mumbled and gave a nervous laugh in response to every one of Aurora's questions and eventually Bella wanted to scream. It wasn't until Snape's voice actually grew more confident and Aurora brought up Rudy's name that Bella found her curiosity peeked again. She strained her hearing to catch portions of the conversation.

"….but Aurora," Snape said after Aurora finished gushing over her perfect relationship with Rudy. "You two are really nothing alike…Ravenclaw, Slytherin…pureblood, half-blood…"

"Those things don't matter Sev, you know that." Aurora said sharply. "Besides, we have a ton in common."

"Oh right. Like a need to release your teenage hormones in the hallways and in empty classrooms?" Snape retorted, crossing his arms.

"Excuse me?"

Bella sighed angrily as Aurora's temper also rose. He was going to ruin it all. Again. And Bella felt viciously confident that she could ensure the disaster, in retribution for his interruption. Her hand slipped from her lap to her pocket. If Snape was going to anger Aurora, it wasn't going to be because he told her WHY Rudy "liked" her, it was going to be because of Bella. Because Snape had angered her and deserved this.

"You know that's the only reason Rudy is with you," Snape snipped again. "I always thought better of you Aurora, I really did. But now I feel like I don't know you at all!"

"I haven't changed Sev, I'm still Aurora. I just have a boyfriend."

"No, you have a boyfriend who uses you for—"

Snape's hand flew out from where it had been crossed, and grabbed Aurora's breast. Both their eyes doubled in size and even when he had control over his hand again, he was too astounded to remove it. Bella snickered behind her book, where her wand was crooked, and Aurora slapped his hand away a second later. Her face was red, but his was purple. He looked at his hand with mouth agape, and Aurora's fists were tight at her side.

"SEVERUS SNAPE! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT?"

Aurora's shrill voice caught the attention of a few people in the room, including Nott and Parkinson who were sitting nearby still waiting for Rudy. Bella watched them glance curiously at each other and decided it would be best to keep Snape from getting a beating. Still, they weren't close enough to see him yet…

"Aurora, I swear, it wasn't me!" Snape stuttered, gripping his own wrist in horror. "My hand…it just flew out…I didn't….it wasn't…I can't…I'm sorry…"

"You are SO jealous!" Aurora accused with a pointed finger. "You are so jealous that I've found a boyfriend and you are still single and unable to fall back on me."

Snape momentarily forgot what just happened, and glared. "ME jealous? If I wanted good shag, I would know better than to go to a FRENCH person. I've heard they're easy but not very good. Makes you and Rudy perfect for each other, eh?"

"I've TOLD you, we're NOT shagging!" Aurora seethed. "But I can forgive you since you can't tell a shag from a French kiss!"

Snape was obviously controlling his own fists now, his neck pulsing and his face getting up in hers as they shouted themselves out. "Rudy doesn't even like you! He's only with you because—"

Another flick of her wand and Bella had Snape's tongue dart towards Aurora's pursed lips. She dodged out of the way just in time, and Snape fell forward a few steps, covering his mouth and looking mortified. Aurora waited until he had straightened and then slapped him hard across the face.

Sneering, she waited for him to recover and look at her. "I hope you get shagged by some French floozy, Snape. I really do. There are plenty of them around here right now, but _I'm not one of them…_"

As she turned to march away from him, Bella couldn't help herself. One more flick of her wand and Snape's hand had connected with Aurora's ass. Aurora jumped, but flicked him off behind her back and made her way towards Nott and Parkinson. Bella jumped up from the couch, feeling more energetic than she had in weeks. Causally, she made her way over to him. He was frozen where he stood and she tugged his sleeve as Aurora told Nott and Parkinson why she had been yelling.

"Come on Snape." She whispered, trying to pull him out of the room.

"Did you…how did I…what was…"

"_Get out."_

Bella finally managed to move Snape by sheer willpower. She expelled him from her common room with one good shove, and then followed him. She felt better. Like trying the library again.

* * *

Rudy only needed one glance. He pointed at Nott and Parkinson, his eyes flicking between them. "What did you do?" he mouthed. Parkinson threw up his hands. Nott pointed towards an open door.

"Aurora, what—"

"Ce petit lutin! Comment le défi il me touchent!" Aurora could hardly speak for anger.

"English, starshine—"

"Why? Do you think French is a dirty language too?"

"No, I just don't speak it. I can't make it better if I don't know what happened. And I won't know if you go on about it in French."

Nott and Parkinson glanced at Rudy, but didn't speak in the wake of Aurora's anger. Aurora glared at the door Bella and Severus had disappeared into.

"Aura?" Rudy reached out a hand to comfort her, to catch her attention, to do something, but she smacked it away.

"Nothing," she said. "_Snivellus_ is just jealous. Let's play Quidditch."

She turned on her heel, spurning the common room.

The boys struggled to keep up with Aurora as she flew through the hallways, occasionally spitting French to the echoing stone corridors. She had such long legs!

She stopped suddenly and whirled on the boys. All three froze. "If that was YOUR idea of a joke—if you had anything to do with that, snickering behind your hands—" She glowered malevolently at them all, but seemed satisfied with their confused faces, and strode back down towards the pitch, flinging the entrance hall doors open with a single massive pull, banging them against the stone walls.

"What happened," Rudy hissed between his teeth.

"I don't know," Gregg responded, "one minute she was yakking with Snape, the next she was fuming—"

"I think he tried to kiss her, Parkinson said thoughtfully.

"WHAT? I'LL—"

"Turn around and leave her with us? Don't think so. We'd all hate you within five minutes." Parkinson nodded back down the hill towards the Quidditch pitch, but Rudy didn't budge.

"Come on, loverboy—you can kill him AFTER you've attended to your livid girlfriend." Gregg gave Rudy a shove towards the pitch, and Rudy consented to walk.

Aurora emerged first from the changing rooms, her practice robes and pads fastened on in all the haste of her anger. She tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the boys to hurry up. She kicked off on her new broom—the broom Rudy had bought her because AVERY had said the same things as Snape—she twirled the beater's bat for two-on-two Quidditch in her wrist.

She pointed down at Nott. "GREGG WITH ME!" She shouted down to the boys below.

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING—" Rudy protested.

"SHUT YOUR FLAPPING PIXIE-WING OF A MOUTH AND FLY!" Aurora shot down towards the ground, kicked open the case of Quidditch balls, grabbed the quaffle and shot a bludger at Rudy. He deflected it at the last moment, mounted his own broom, and sped off after her. How was she—_pixie wings?_ No. If she expected him to go easy on her, she was sadly mistaken.

* * *

The match was furious. Parkinson was a speedy chaser; his broom outclassed Aurora's, though she and Nott flew better together than Rudy did with Marcus. Rudy was too used to being a one-man show; his game fell apart when he had to consider more than beating. When he was able to focus, though, he snapped plays in half and nearly knocked his mates out of the air.

70 – 80, Nott-Sinistra ahead. The first to 150 would win, since it was the equivalent of catching the Snitch they had not released. Rudy smacked a bludger down at Nott—Nott dodged—Parkinson stole—and scored. 80-80.

"Lestrange," Aurora bellowed, "Aim another bludger at me and see if I wait up for you tonight!" Aurora beat the bludger back at him.

Rudy smacked it again in her direction. "Somebody once told me that Quidditch was Quidditch—"

Aurora launched it back. "THIS ISN'T REAL QUIDDITCH!"

"THEN WHY DO YOU CARE?"

Aurora's eyebrows shot together in a straight line, and she instinctively knocked the bludger out of the way as it came towards her, deflecting it from Rudy so he couldn't hit it back. She rammed into Parkinson, stole the Quaffle, scored—caught her own Quaffle—and scored again.

"See? See what happens when you follow your instincts?" Rudy had known she had it in her. Look at the way she was flying! She zoomed in and out of players and balls as though she moved ten times faster than the rest of them.

Rudy smirked to himself. "Maybe it's just the broom—"

"Shut up, smartass." Aurora tossed the Quaffle to Rudy, set up in front of him, and stole it immediately as he attempted to pass it back into play. She scored twice. Again.

"Parkinson, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"TRYING TO PLAY QUIDDITCH WITH YOU BARBARIANS—"

Nott laughed. "COME ON, SINISTRA—I WANT MORE OF THEIR ASSES—"

Aurora tossed Rudy the ball. Rudy threw it straight down. Parkinson dived under him and sped towards the goalposts—Nott clipped his shoulder with a bludger, Parkinson dropped the Quaffle, and Aurora scored once, caught her own Quaffle, aimed—

Rudy shot a bludger at Aurora. Her shot went far right of the goalpost as she dodged it.

Parkinson caught her quaffle and scored… but Aurora caught that one as Nott and Rudy engaged each other in a furious bludger volley, and scored twice more.

"ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY!" She stopped midair, panting, and pelted another bludger away as Rudy sent it towards her. "And I'll have your ass for fouling me after the game had ended." She locked eyes with him, and he grinned sheepishly.

Nott zoomed in towards Aurora, his hand in the air. She obliged him with a high five. "Feel better?" he asked.

Aurora nodded.

"Barbarians," Parkinson muttered.

"Sore loser," said Rudy, Gregg and Aurora together.

They dropped back down towards the showers together.

"Are you going to tell us what happened, now?" Rudy dropped into the air beside his girlfriend.

"Oh, it's not worth it," she said. "I'd just get riled up again."

"Maybe I like you riled up."

"Maybe you should learn French." They caught each other's eye and grinned. "I was mad at Snape for being an ass," Aurora explained, "but I'm over it. No need to kill him."

"Can I kill him anyway?"

"No," Aurora forbade him. "But you can douse his sheets with itching potion, if you really wanted to."

Rudy laughed. "Okay. Consider it done."

* * *

Aurora emerged from the shower long after the boys did, taking her time under the steady flow of steaming water, as if it washed away the filth that Snape had inflicted on her. What had come over him lately? He said that Aurora had changed, when in reality, she thought it was quite the opposite. She siphoned her hair dry and was too lazy to do anything with it, and as she stuffed her Quidditch gear into her locker she considered what would happen if she did unleash Rudy on him.

"Broken nose probably," She chuckled, digging in her bag for her blouse. It was such a beautiful fall day. One of the few remaining, no doubt, as every night it got colder, and every week the sky darkened sooner and threatened the first snow fall. But today it was nice.

She pulled on her jeans, set her blouse aside, and ran a comb through her hair. When she looked up in the mirror to clasp her necklace and put on her blouse her heart skipped a beat and she froze, her eyes glued on the silhouette behind her. For a brief, horrifying moment she had flashbacks to Avery and she almost screamed. But upon second blink, Aurora realized with a flood of relief that it was only Rudy. She was so relieved, however, she was momentarily distracted from the fact she wasn't entirely dressed yet. Rudy wasn't even conscious of the fact that he had just given her a heart attack. He was too occupied with what he saw in the mirror's reflection.

"Rudy! Bloody hell I thought you were Avery…" Aurora scolded into the mirror and that's when she gathered her bearings enough to realize Rudy was too busy staring to answer her. She blushed furiously and started on the blouse, fumbling with her clumsy fingers, giving Rudy more than enough time to memorize all the fine details of her torso. "Don't you know it's rude to stare? What are you doing in here anyway?"

Rudy shook himself of the stare when she finally pulled the blouse over her shoulders and started buttoning it up. He shrugged, picking himself up from where he leaned against the door. "You were taking forever. Everyone else has gone up to eat and I started to worry."

Aurora couldn't help but smile to herself, finishing the last button and turning to look at him over her shoulder. "And here I thought we were just making a habit out of these strip teases."

Rudy grinned suavely and sauntered towards her as she finished shoving the remaining stuff in her locker and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"I don't know that I've seen the stripping. _Yet_." He said wrapping his hands around her waist.

"What do you mean yet?" Aurora raised her eyebrows but let herself get pulled up against him. He smelled so good, fresh out of the shower. "I should think the tease is more than enough for greedy little eyes like yours."

He casually let his hands drop lower and smirked down at her. "That's the thing—I'm greedy. I'll tell you when I've had enough."

"That so?" Aurora squirmed out of his grasp just as he leaned forward and watched him kiss air. "And I'll tell you when I'm available. For right now, you're getting penalized for that fowl, Lestrange."

Rudy laughed, but part of him cursed. Seeing her in that state of undress had turned him on and NOW she was going to penalize him and play hard to get? He should've known that last bludger would come back to haunt him. But now he had that added image stuck in his head; damn her and her perfect little body. Hogwarts and Beauxbatons both had plenty of beautiful girls, but Aurora was always a surprise to him. Even after all this time of being with her, he still forgot what a little model she was. She was just so damn good at hiding it behind the studious Ravenclaw, or the blushing innocent façade. He rarely saw the little minx that went with that body; sometimes when she was feeling especially daring at night, or when she was feisty and angry, or drunk…maybe he could get her drunk again. Of course he wouldn't, but the thought was tempting. Especially when all he could see now was that Playwizard Aurora…near completely topless and surrounded by quidditch stuff. _Damn._

Somehow Rudy found a means, by sheer will power, to recover from her dodge and brush it off with his same smug smile.

"Oh really?"

Aurora nodded and folded her arms.

"Sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but you avoiding my kiss isn't penalizing me. You're just hurting yourself." Rudy said more assuredly than he felt.

Aurora's mischievous grin spread slowly at first, and Rudy was actually a bit thrown by her confidence all of a sudden.

"We'll see Lestrange. I'll be sure to punish you good."

Rudy paused for a moment as she strutted out of the locker room, and then trying to ignore his curiosity he said after her, "Well. Punish you _well_."

Aurora gave a flirtatious flip of her hair and winked.

Rudy cursed under his breath.

* * *

The conversation was entirely around the mock-quidditch match earlier. Aurora had agreed to eat with the Slytherins so Rudy could be with his boys, but she could hardly eat. Her mind was racing with ways to get back at her boyfriend who was always so cocky around her. It was about time she taught him a thing or two about French women, and the few ideas that occupied her thoughts were brilliant. It was just a matter of which one, and when. Rudy was engaged in the recap of the game, but every time it was told, it got more exaggerated and Parkinson whined even more about the brutes he called "teammates." The others at the table were laughing and enjoying the stories, the exaggerations, and the demonstrations with forks and grapes. Aurora nodded or put in her side of things when asked, but otherwise remained silent and sat unnoticed for the most part on the other side of Rudy. Every now and then he'd glance in her direction and eventually he noticed that she had hardly touched any of her food. He furrowed his brow and leaned over to talk quietly with her, excusing himself from the conversation for just a minute.

"Aren't you hungry?" He asked her, nodding at her full plate.

And that's when it hit her. Aurora knew exactly what she was going to do and she didn't give it a second thought, despite it being rather cruel in nature.

"I am," She said coyly. "For you."

Rudy's eyebrows raised and he felt her hand slide from his knee higher and he swallowed hard.

"What?"

"You heard me."

Rudy glanced down at her hand and back up at her. She was wearing that same mischievous smile he saw earlier and he knew what she was up to.

"Nice try, starshine." He turned away from her and back to his food and friends. But Aurora was not deterred. She scratched at his leg with her nails and slid closer to him, until she couldn't move any farther on the bench. Rudy glanced sideways at her, but tried desperately to ignore her breath on his neck and her hand on his leg.

"Rudy," She whispered up into his ear. "You're so tense. Any particular reason why?"

"I'm not." He said under his breath, trying to keep up his part in the Quidditch conversation. But he was entirely distracted by Aurora, whose hand had just found its way into his lap. He twitched and she grinned.

"You will be," She teased, breathing into his ear. She rubbed her hand against the jean material. "Rudy…"

He grunted. "What?" and squirmed under her hand. Not here, damnit! Not now! All his friends were around him, all were engaged in what they thought was a very important discussion about Quidditch and he couldn't very well up and leave them. And if he did, Aurora would win…but CIRCE her hand and her lips against his ear…

"This is not a penalty," He hissed. "This is a fowl."

"What?" Nott asked, glancing curiously at Rudy.

"Nothing."

"No, this is revenge." Aurora whispered again, kissing his ear hotly. Her hand moved again, he squirmed again, and his fork couldn't spear the piece of meat he had been trying to eat for the past two minutes.

"Stop."

"You don't like it?" Aurora purred. "It doesn't feel…good?"

"No." Rudy's teeth gritted.

"You lie."

"Not HERE Aurora."

"I love the way you say my name," She was relentless and Rudy, despite his unstable thoughts and determination to get out of this, had a moment where he was impressed with just exactly how evil she was.

"Say it again."

"No."

"Rudy…" She moaned softly against his neck and he reached down to grab her wrist, firmly in his own hand. She was treading dangerous waters now.

"Enough."

He saw her malicious grin. He felt her soft wrist twitch and he knew, he KNEW, she had no intention of stopping. His own body had betrayed him, given him away, and Aurora had him in check.

Aurora stared into his eyes fiercely, challenging him, daring him to push her hand away…but he didn't. He held it there, glared back at her, unable to make up his own mind. His body was screaming one thing, his brain another…

"Enough, Aurora."

Aurora turned her wrist in his hand and grabbed his own wrist, pulling her hand back from his lap, but guiding his towards her own. Rudy's eyes grew twice in size when she paused, keeping hand lingering just inches away from her own lap.

"Say it one more time, and I'll stop."

Her voice was dripping seduction and his hand twitched again. Circe she was a bitch.

Rudy dropped his eyes, looked at his hands and if he stretched his fingers just a little…no. Not here. Not now. He swallowed hard again and balled his fist.

"No. Stop." The words were choked on, forced out, and so feeble he felt like an idiot for not having more control of his own actions. She had him wrapped around her finger and he knew it. He was a sucker for her. And this was not helping matters.

Aurora smirked, released his hand and pushed it away. "You said it. Not me."

With a satisfied look, she dug into her meal. But Rudy couldn't eat. Not now. He completely ignored all the conversations around him and just stared blankly at his plate. He had been SO CLOSE…

* * *

Dinner adjourned by consensus, but Rudy had been nodding and trying to control his churning brain for so long, he didn't notice what was going on until people began smacking him on the back or punching him in the shoulder. Rudy stood with the rest of the group, and looked absently around for a moment, running a hand through his hair. Aurora was momentarily reminded of the night that they had first kissed on the top of the Astronomy tower. He had been so confused then, too.

She smirked and brushed her hand along his stomach, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "Rudy," she called softly.

Rudy's hand snapped out and caught her arm. His focus and intensity snapped back into his eyes as he turned at looked at her. "What?"

"I really like it that you're taller than me. Hits me every time I stand close to you." She paused, as Rudy's face contorted with desire, her other hand wandering across his backside.

"Let's go. Now." Rudy, still with her wrist in his hand, strode back up towards his friends, pulling Aurora along behind him. Out of the Great Hall. Up the staircase. Down the corridor… so close, so close, five more steps, Rudy and then you can have every inch of everything—

Aurora jerked her hand free. "No. I'm going to bed. You should walk me."

Rudy turned incredulously to face her, his hand already reaching for the door handle to the library.

"I'm tired," Aurora said, and her smirk spread into a diabolical grin. "Walk me."

Rudy opened his mouth on instinct. "Why do I have to walk you? Why are you so tired, all of a sudden?"

"I'm tired because I played Quidditch opposite you, Reducto… and you are an amazing opponent for Quidditch… and you should walk me because you make me look so good in the hallways. I love the way you strut."

"How are you even tired, you—you Siren! You… _harpy._" Rudy grabbed at her arm, to escort her further up the corridor towards Ravenclaw Tower. Aurora reached out and took it, but entwined her fingers with his instead, swinging the arms gently between. She reached in and caressed Rudy's palm with her fingernails.

Rudy wrenched his arm away, his hand balled into a fist. He looked wildly around for a moment, and then lifted Aurora into his arms and kissed her so furiously Aurora could not think of a way to extract herself. She was pulled into his smell and into the knot she had tied herself—she was wrapped in his arms, she had no grounding and no world except for the smell and the feel of his lips against her skin. How she loved the way he kissed her neck; the way he held her so close, every inch of them pressed together.

Abruptly he stopped and set her back down on her feet. He shut his eyes, looking down at his own feet, one hand shoved into his hair, panting. _Slow down there… just chill out…_

He looked over at her, smiling softly at him like she did when they had just woken from a night's rest, or a nap, her eyes rich and happy looking.

"See? I told you that withholding kisses hurts yourself."

"Hurts you too. You kissed me. I win."

"No no no. You saw what it means to arouse a greedy man. I win."

"You saw where getting cocky with French girls gets you. I win."

"You win," Rudy ceded, changing tactics in the blink of an eye. "Satisfied?"

"No," Aurora said, smirking again, and turning to walk off towards the tower. "And neither shall you be."

He watched her ascend the tower stairs, step after step, until the last inch of leg disappeared. He rubbed his face hard with both hands… and then pulled out his wand and shot ice chips down the back of his own shirt. His body convulsed with the surprise of the cold, but he focused on it, relished it as it sucked heat out of his body. Ice settling into the folds of his shirt and over his belt, Rudy turned and made for the dungeons.

* * *

Rudy considered viciously all the differing ways he could get back at Aurora, make her realize how much control he could wield if he wanted to. Every idea seemed too small to him; he had to trump her. Not one dinner. Not one afternoon. He had to hold her rapt attention—control every thought in her head—for a full day. It was nearly impossible, as exams approached, to snare Aurora's attention for more than a few hours. Rudy had forcibly removed more than several of Aurora's textbooks from her gripping hands just to see her face. Well, also to snog her stupid.

The idea came to him as he was lying awake, staring at the canopy over his four poster, thinking about her. She was always on his mind. Was he always on hers? What did she think about? The little things he'd done that had turned her on? It was a bad practice to get into, really, thinking about her before he went to sleep. The way she had crossed her legs in the kitchen. The way every muscle in her back had moved when she reached for her bag without her blouse on, Quidditch gear and lockers scattered around. The way her legs fed so perfectly into her lithe body; the feel of her full and steady seduction; his skin burning from her touch.

What about him turned her on? She never said, specifically. That he was tall, maybe, but how could he use that to his advantage? She thought he had a good figure, at the very least, but after that Rudy struggled. This was not the occasion for poetry and pondering, was it? What turns girls on?

"What a case you are, Aura." Rudy mumbled to himself. "Unlike anything I've ever seen."

* * *

"I can't."

"Why not?" Aurora snapped.

"They're asking us to clean out the broomshed and the lockers for the triwizard! You knew that."

"Mmmm…"

"What about after?" Rudy suggested.

"Oh, I suppose that's all right." They were arguing about when next to play a game of pickup Quidditch, lounging over their mountains of homework and their exam studies in their makeshift home in the library attic, each claiming half the couch for him or herself.

"With Gregg and Park?" Rudy just wanted to be sure.

"Yes, yes," Aurora replied, "same as always. Don't you have something to study?"

"Weren't you the one that looked up from your book to ask me a question, while I was pleasantly minding my own business?"

Aurora didn't respond, having already ducked back down behind her Transfiguration book.

"You know," Rudy said slowly, "if you wanted, I could drill you; though you hardly need it…"

"Hush. I'm trying to read."

Rudy hushed, but couldn't hide the satisfied smile that slid across his face. He hadn't even needed to suggest it himself. Aurora had started the play that would reveal Rudy's oh-so-carefully plotted trump card.

"What are you smirking at?"

"My girlfriend, reading about Transfiguration theory. Makes me happy. Kinda turns me on."

"Rudy, no. Not right now. I'm trying to study."

Rudy forcibly yanked the book away from her and spread out across her lap, lounging there. "You know it all." He brushed her leg. "Love potions have transfigurative elements because…"

"…the soul, like light, is as much a particle as it is wave. Love must be manipulated from both sides, where potions could only manipulate particles which have mass—ultimately affecting body signal and function. Transfiguration literally changes the way a person's soul reacts to an object…"

"See. You know everything there is to know." He brushed her leg. "I love you. Body and soul, no potion or magic necessary."

The kiss was softer, but it was wonderful to feel the plush of her lips and the draw of her breath. "My beautiful," he whispered, touching her face as she smiled.

* * *

_It's been a while since we've heard your lovely voices! If you're still reading, if you've enjoyed any one of the last chapters, PLEASE review! We wanna hear what you think and we graciously respond to all reviews on our profile page! :)_


	22. Wooing a Woman

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 22

* * *

Aurora woke to early sun, the day crisp and clear, if a little cold. Rudy covered her face in small kisses, just to make sure she was awake.

"Can't start my day without you." He smiled. She shoved him away. "Okay. I have to go, starshine. You'll meet me for Quidditch?"

Aurora glared sleepily at him in his bright red sweater as he pulled their blanket up over her shoulders. She groaned slightly, and rolled over towards the couch.

"Don't forget."

Rudy pecked her on the cheek once more, and was gone. She felt a surge of affection for him, and she grinned to herself through her shut eyes. He couldn't start his day without her. He knew she'd go back to sleep, as she spent half the night staring out the window anyway…

The next time she woke, the sun was higher in the sky, and the image of Rudy's sweater coming over his head dissolved as she rolled over. Something smelled delicious…

"Dizzy is just bringing breakfast for miss—miss is not needing to get up—"

Aurora looked curiously at the elf, stuffed like cotton into the center of a black placemat, with gold embroidery on it—some kind of seal—the elf disappeared again, and Aurora's eyes crossed as they looked for something to focus on. Aurora groaned and let her face fall back into the pillow.

The elf popped back in several more times, ferrying dishes and a small table and finally fresh flowers. And then there was juice, and a crystal pitcher of water with lemon slices floating serenely on the top…

"Miss be needing anything else?"

Aurora cracked an eye open again, surveying the small feast that was laid out before her. It was nicer than the meal Rudy sometimes had his elf cater for them; there were fresh flowers, and expensive dishes.

She sighed but not before an unexpected sneeze rattled her calm. "Dizzy," she said slowly, "can you get rid of the dust in here?"

Dizzy beamed, clapped her tiny hands once, and then swept them through the air, pressed together. Aurora winced as sun flared into her face, reflected by some newly dusted surface.

"Young master Rudy be saying not to forget to meet him for Quidditch, miss. Dizzy is going now, but she be back later to clean up. Pleasant morning, miss!"

The elf disappeared.

* * *

Aurora ate slowly, munching on the fresh fruit and yogurt, the toast and fine cheeses, sipping the crisp water as she sat wrapped in a blanket, reading. She'd thought it would be a book of muggle astronomy—it certainly had a decent title—but she had been in for a rude awakening when she opened the cover. _The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ was nothing she had expected it to be, and yet she found the novel amusing and entertaining, and she had consented to finish the book.

When she finally emerged from the castle, the air was just as refreshing as the pitcher of water had been. The sun beamed in the sky, but not too brightly; it wasn't cold enough to hold snow, but it was just necessary to wear a sweater. As she approached the pitch, she saw Rudy and half the Slytherin team standing and talking to each other. She squinted at the knot of boys, and then went into the changing rooms, sure to lock the door securely behind her.

When she came out, toting her broom, the boys were clearing off. Rudy sat sprawled on one of the benches, his sweater removed and his undershirt sooty and smeared with something brown or black, or…

"What happened to you?"

"I spent the morning with broomstick polish. What happened to you?" Rudy smirked up at her, wiping sweat off of his forehead and smearing polish over his face. His hands were covered in it.

"I slept in and had an excellent breakfast," Aurora smirked at him.

"Oh," Rudy said. He stood, swept his broom off of the ground, and slung it across his shoulders, using it to stretch. Aurora could see every muscle in his chest and torso, and he was covered in that _stuff_…

"Good show?" Rudy glanced sideways at her, swinging his broom off of his back.

"You're hot when you're filthy." Aurora said it without thinking, almost surprised by her own words.

Rudy grinned at her. "I know," he said, and winked at her. For the first time in months, his gaze made her blush.

"Healthy color in your cheeks, there, Sinistra—looks good on you. Come on. Let's play Quidditch. You and me?"

"No," Aurora said defiantly. "Me and Park."

"You're going to lose," Rudy warned.

"Shut it, Lestrange! Will you two fly, please?" Parkinson circled above their heads.

Rudy and Aurora mounted their brooms, and kicked off. Aurora hadn't even noticed the other two boys; hadn't noticed them take off. What was wrong with her, this morning?

* * *

After a few basic warm-up drills, the game heated up quickly. The sudden appearance of the sun after a few days of gray skies seemed to have energized them all. Their flying was sharper, their teamwork tighter; the game was closer, and Rudy and Nott lost only within the last two goals, which Aurora scored within seconds of each other.

Rudy grinned, his hair dripping with sweat, polish smeared all over his face and all over his sweater and all over everything. "Good game, Aurora. I'm impressed with you, Park."

"It's because you had no chaser," he said slowly, but smiled happily all the same.

They all dismounted and headed off towards the showers together, but Rudy caught Aurora's hand, and spun her into a slight dance step. He rubbed her fingers in his own, and kissed the fingertips. "Be quick. I have a surprise for you, and we have to make it to Hogsmeade."

Aurora looked at him curiously. "Breakfast in bed, flowers, and now a surprise?"

Rudy grinned slyly at her. "If I tell you what it is, you'll never come out of the bathroom. I'm lording it over you as bait." He pecked her on the cheek, smelling of earth and wood, and sweat.

She grabbed his sweater from the front as he tried to pull away from her. "What?"

Aurora pressed her face into his chest. His sweater smelled of wool and dust and somehow, of old books. It smelled like him.

"Aurora, let me go. We need to shower."

"You need to shower," she corrected. "You're filthy." She brushed her fingers along his bare forearm, lightly fingering the polish.

"I am filthy. Go on—and hurry, would you? I can't wait forever. Although… if I hurry, I might get the strip half of my tease."

Aurora shoved him, and he smirked at her. "Bet I'm done before you are," Aurora taunted, and strode off towards the changing rooms.

Rudy turned around, smiling to himself. How perfectly could it all possibly go?

* * *

Aurora burst from the changing rooms, fully dressed. Rudy was apparently nowhere. She squinted at the surrounding area, expecting him to jump out from somewhere… but it was just the wind that stirred her scarf and her hair around her shoulders. She paused for a moment, then pulled out her wand and ran it through her hair a few more times. It curled slightly at the ends. Still no Rudy. She pulled out her tube of lip-gloss and dabbed it on. No Rudy.

Was she really that early? There again, Rudy had a ton of polish to scrub off—she smirked to herself and made for the gentlemen's changing room. She paused for a moment, looking by the door. Rudy's broom stood propped against it. Parkinson and Nott must have already left, right?

She hesitated for a further moment, and then pushed open the door slowly. She could hear one of the showers running off to the right. A wicked grin spread across her face, and she crept silently across the floor towards Rudy's bag. She gently lifted the strap over her shoulders, and retreated slightly.

The water shut off.

A curtain slid across bars somewhere out of sight, and steam poured into the lockers…

Out of the cloud of steam stepped Rudy, soaking wet but perfectly clean, a towel wrapped haphazardly around his waist. Light glinted off of him. He glanced around the changing room, frowning—he strode over to a couple of lockers, flung one open, and frowned deeper—"Damnit to hell, I'll kill them both—"

Aurora stepped into the changing room, the bag securely slung over her shoulder. "Looking for something, Lestrange?"

Rudy whipped around, jumping slightly. And then he grinned, seeing Aurora there. "Yes. What about you? Just looking?"

Aurora smirked, and stepped towards him. "I thought we were supposed to be hurrying?"

"Couldn't help it. I can manage broomstick polish, but axle grease…they made us clean the carriages, too," he explained. "Can I have my clothes?"

Aurora stared at him.

"Please? It's cold," he said.

"What if I'm enjoying the show?"

"Nothing you haven't seen before."

"I haven't ever seen your ass so perfectly silhouetted by a wet towel before." She circled him, and stared, smirking. Rudy shut his eyes. He'd known that if the plan worked, Aurora would be behaving just this way, but he needed to manage it; he needed to be just a little more careful for just a little bit longer.

"Clothes for a kiss?" She raised one eyebrow at him.

Rudy's hand snapped out so quickly Aurora barely saw it as it caught both ends of her scarf and pulled her forward. "My pleasure," Rudy said. Aurora could feel the resonance of his deep voice in his chest. She reached out and touched him—water-slick, bare skin and his beautiful mouth…

"Clothes?"

Aurora nodded dumbly, taking off the strap without answering him. Rudy smirked at her. "Even trade?"

"No," Aurora said, automatically teasing him. Rudy turned and made for the showers to change in privacy…and dropped his towel just as he turned the corner. Aurora blushed to see the barest glimpse of his naked backside. "Rudy," she scolded, and she heard him chuckling to himself as he pulled on his pants.

* * *

Rudy carefully buttoned his shirt and checked his hair in the mirror. He raised an eyebrow, and smiled at himself. He pulled on a sweater, and then met Aurora outside the changing room. He hoped she'd left because she needed air.

The brisk walk down to Hogsmeade was invigorating. They talked and laughed, Aurora trying to guess what Rudy had up his sleeve, and Rudy resolutely not telling.

"How did you keep it a secret from me?"

"I am a master of mystery."

"You wear every one of your thoughts on your sleeve."

"Not my fault you can't read."

"TELL ME."

"NO."

Aurora stuck her hand behind his belt and jerked him towards her. "Tell me _now._"

"I will willingly be seduced in the middle of this road, but I am _not_ going to tell you. The longer we sit here and dally, the longer it takes you to find out."

"Is it a present?"

"I already told you what it was. It's a surprise."

"Animal? Mineral? Vegetable?"

Rudy chuckled. "Surprising blend of all three. Oh, wait—I have to stop here first." He pulled her into the three broomsticks. It was warm and crowded with many students—but Rudy only said brief hellos to those that hailed him, making straight for the bar. He handed an envelope across to Rosmerto, the barkeep, who slit it open and then pulled a wooden box down off the shelf and handed it to Rudy.

"What's that?" Aurora attempted to snatch it from him.

"Something fragile that I have to trade to get your surprise, so don't get grabby and break it."

"Where are we going?" They had banged back out of the bar and into the cold again, turning down an unfamiliar residential street, full of find townhomes.

"I told you already. It's a surprise."

"Can't you give me even a little hint?"

"House elf," said Rudy, and Aurora swatted him.

"Smartass."

"You'd know, as you've so recently laid your eyes all over it."

Aurora swatted him again.

Rudy turned on her abruptly and pointed his wand at her face. It was the last thing she saw before everything went dark.

* * *

"Rudy? Rudy!" Aurora clawed at her face. "What did you do? I can't see—I can't see anything—Rudy?"

"Calm down, starshine, I'm right here."

"What happened? What did you do? I can't see—"

"I know, Aura. Don't panic, I just wanted to be sure that you kept your eyes shut—"

Aurora launched herself towards him. "YOU ASS—YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME—"

Rudy hugged her to him. Even his clean sweaters smelled wonderful. "Do you want your surprise or not? We're almost there…"

Rudy glanced up at the sign swinging over his head, closed his eyes, and said a short prayer to Circe as the gold flake paint glinted in the sunlight.

"Four steps on a short staircase," he said, guiding her up and into the building. "Thirteen steps up to the second floor…"

His hands were so steady. It felt so strange to be so focused on his hands; to be unable to look at them, to see them, to glance up at Rudy's face and know what he was thinking…

"Okay, starshine. Hang on here for just a moment."

She could hear him knocking. What was he up to? What on earth was he doing?

"Signore Veloce."

"Rudy! Is this the girl? Ach, she is beautiful—"

"Beautiful, but blind for the moment. I wanted to make sure it was a complete surprise. Aurora, this is Signore Nico Veloce."

Aurora put one hand over her eyes and swept down into a curtsey. "Hello, sir. I would lend you my hand, but I don't know where else to put it."

The booming voice laughed and filled the room. "Come, come, this way—did you pick up the—oh, excellent, you are good, aren't you—"

"And," Rudy said, "These are for you and Sophie."

"Oh! We were just going to spend the evening with Nick! Rudy, you are too much for us—"

"It's a fair trade. There's tickets for Nick and Marie too."

Aurora cleared her throat slightly. "I am going to sight myself again—"

"No you're not," Rudy said absently, "Because I have your wand."

Aurora immediately grabbed for it and gasped. "When—"

"You threw yourself at me. It fell. I picked it up."

Aurora felt around for his arm, and then punched his shoulder.

Signore Veloce laughed again. "Well, we shall see you, Rudy, aye?"

"I look forward to your post-show commentary, as always." Rudy clasped hands with his longtime family friend, and they shared a silent wink.

_Crack!_

"Rudy?" Aurora panicked. She had no wand, if Rudy left her here blind…

"Right here, that was Veloce. Come on. Just a few more steps."

Aurora could smell it before she saw it. Her brow creased. "What…?"

Rudy guided her onto the tile floor and then abruptly lifted her onto the counter to sit her down. "This," he said, "is the home of two very famous cooks that have been friends with my family for ages. And this," Rudy said, tapping his wand at Aurora's eyes. "is your kitchen for the evening."

Aurora was stunned. It gleamed with polished surfaces everywhere she looked. There was a long trough to one side, freshest spices growing in the small kitchen garden. A basket of fresh vegetables was set at the end. There was a brick oven and a cabinet full of crystal…

Rudy grinned at her. It was all worth it. Every second of her star-struck face was worth it. She turned to look at him, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"There's more," Rudy said. "Here." He pushed the wooden box towards her, sliding the top slightly off. Aurora pushed it the rest of the way. Inside she found, set into white silk, several small phials. She picked up the first and held it up to the light. "Saffron!" She gasped. "I never get to cook with saffron—I haven't even TASTED saffron—not since the Djinn population rebelled in southwest Asia."

"It'll never run out, either. Never ending canister. It's for you to keep. The other two are fine whiskeys, for cooking. The Veloce's don't keep whiskey in their home—just wine. I wanted you to have whatever you needed. There's fresh meats in the fridge, and cheeses in the cellar, and anything you could possibly want, just summon."

She beamed at him, jumped off the counter, flung her arms around him, and kissed him happily. "Rudy, it's—it's—"

"It's my pleasure. And you haven't finished with that box, yet." He nodded towards it again. "I hope you like it."

Aurora whirled and stared at the silk. Rudy pulled it out of the box, revealing a tattered old pattern underneath. "That's one of my grandmother's aprons," he said, gently lifting it out of the box, and pressing it to her waist. "I don't know whether you wear an apron, but—"

She nodded slowly, turned slowly, and felt Rudy's fingers at her back as he tied the apron. She didn't know what to say.

"Growing up with the Veloces, I do know a bit about cooking. So—I shall be your humble sous chef, or runner, or prep wizard for the evening." Rudy reached out and whipped a towel off the handle of the oven and flung it over his shoulder. "What are you in the mood for? Anything off the top of your head, or would you like to flip through the Veloce family recipe book?"

* * *

Aurora turned back around and cupped his scruffy face in her hands and peppered his face with kisses. He chuckled at the feel of her soft lips leaving small gloss marks from his forehead to his chin, but he was just as happy to see her so excited. His plan was going perfectly; he could see it reflected in her eyes.

"I would like to kiss you, Rodolphus Lestrange," Aurora said softly, kissing his nose and rubbing her own against it. "I've never received such a gift before…I'm speechless!"

He rested his forehead against hers and smiled into those brilliant eyes.

"I'm glad you like it."

"I love it. Circe, I love _you_. I just can't…" She fumbled for words and he swayed lightly with her as she struggled to express just how shocked she was. "This is just too much for words, Rudy. You are perfect."

Her fingers trailed his cheek softly and guided his lips to her, to kiss him tenderly, her words failing to express just how excited and absolutely stunned she was. It was such a perfect gift; she loved the kitchen. It didn't matter where, Aurora just loved to cook. She felt at home in a kitchen where the smells and sounds calmed her and many a late night cooking session had happened when her mother was stressed. That was who she had learned it from; her mother was a brilliant cook and had taught Aurora everything she knew. Whenever Aurora had been visibly stressed, her mother would bring her into the kitchen to bake. Pies, cookies, cakes, and bars were just the start and it soon progressed into gourmet desserts with ice cream, crème, folds of chocolate, mint leaves, strawberry squeeze, lemon sprinkles, chocolate mousse, and the like. Aurora's favorite past time was baking, but she made a fair chef herself—the only food truly stumping was turkey. She couldn't figure out how long it was supposed to cook. Ever. But even then; Aurora knew as soon as she figured out how long to cook it, the seasoning and side dishes would make up for any imperfections. Salads, meats, potatoes of every assortment, vegetables, fruit platters, fresh juices, herbs and spices, cheese and fish, bread and jello molds….Aurora loved it all. The possibilities were endless and she was always finding a new twist to try on her favorite dishes.

"Starshine…hold up there…" Rudy gently untangled himself from Aurora's kiss, which she had forgotten had been happening. Her mind had been so lost in the food that her kiss had gotten a bit carried away without her realizing it and Rudy was breathing hard, a smile still on his face. "We can save that for later, yeah?"

Aurora blushed. "Sorry. I was distracted."

"By thoughts of my ass, I know." Rudy winked and gave her forehead a soft kiss.

"No…by thoughts of food, smartass." Aurora gave his stomach a light pinch and turned towards the magnificent kitchen. "Oh Rudy, it's breathtaking. I want one."

Rudy chuckled and gave her butt a little smack as he walked past. "Come on then! Look around, what do you want to make?"

Aurora, with a slight skip to her step, took her time exploring the kitchen and all its contents. She dug through the refrigerator and in the cupboards, nodded to herself as she checked the spices and sauces, and tapped her slender fingers against her chin as she surveyed the cellar. After nearly thirty minutes of simply debating under her breath and Rudy following her around like a puppy, Aurora turned to him with a grin.

"I think I'll treat you the French way. Maybe some emincé de volaille sauce Roquefort and pommes de terre sautées. Mmm, I could go for some soupe à l'oignon gratinée…"

"English, starshine." Rudy chuckled.

"Fillet of chicken with Roquefort sauce and sautéed potatoes," Aurora grinned. "And onion soup. Mmmm…some garlic breadsticks and a dinner salad to start us off I think. I'm sure you can find a fine red wine somewhere around here. And for dessert, I'm thinking a profiteroles au chocolat…"

"I don't know what that is, but it sounds amazing," Rudy nodded, his stomach rumbling just at the sound of all the homemade food. "You French sure know how to eat. Are you sure you can make all that?"

Aurora harrumphed and waved her hand, adjusting the apron and looking so professional as she tied her hair back. "Pu-lease. This will be a piece of cake. The real question is—can you eat it all?"

Rudy laughed and followed her to the sink where they washed their hands side by side, Rudy flicking a few drops at her. "I'm a growing boy. I'll eat whatever you throw at me."

Aurora smiled and took a moment to heave a breath, and then with a nod to herself she pulled out her wand and gave it a graceful but purposeful flick and curve and from all over the kitchen and cellar came the ingredients she needed. Rudy watched as brown onions, Swiss cheese, butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, white wine, eggs, sugar, cream, milk, chocolate, sour cream, chicken breasts, potatoes, green beans, head of lettuce, tomatoes, olives, shredded cheese, salad dressing, and croutons flew in and arranged themselves neatly on the counter in order of what they were to be used for. His jaw was slightly ajar when he realized just how much work this was going to be. But Aurora clapped happily and looked giddy and completely relaxed.

"Perfect," She squealed, surveying the scene. "You want to start by putting together a salad? Or perhaps making the dough for the breadsticks?"

"Yeah…" Rudy nodded numbly, reaching for his own wand. "Yeah, I can do the salad. Wow, Aurora…"

She grinned wider at him and grabbed the pots and pans that had arranged themselves on the other counter. One frying pan she poured two spoons of olive oil and set the flame at a medium high while next to her a knife started slicing the chicken breasts into small strips. Farther down the counter, potatoes were peeling and then cutting themselves into small pieces. Aurora prepared a second frying pan with four spoons of olive oil for them to cook in. As she watched the potatoes and chicken slices cook themselves, she added some salt and pepper where needed and then turned her attention to making the dough for the breadsticks. As she mixed the simple ingredients, she watched Rudy's back as he prepared the salad, humming to himself and towel still draped over his shoulder. She couldn't help it; he looked hot. She liked men in the kitchen, who knew what they were doing and were confident with a knife and piece of meat. And speaking of piece of meat…Aurora pointed her wand at a wooden spoon and the spoon smacked Rudy's butt promptly. He glanced over his shoulder at her.

"You could just call if you needed something."

They shared a grin at each other.

"You need something?" He continued on, tossing a crouton at her.

"No," Aurora shrugged and set the bowl of dough aside. "Just saying hi."

Rudy chuckled. "I can roll that into the breadsticks when it rises."

Aurora nodded and whisked a bowel of garlic butter, adding a touch of saffron.

"You know," She said, looking at the bottle. "Large amounts of this can kill you…I've heard muggles use it to reduce fevers and cramps and calm nerves."

"Muggles," Rudy snorted. "Just don't use too much then! Had I known…"

"It's also a romantic spice," Aurora purred, sidling up alongside Rudy and standing on tip-toe to kiss his cheek. "How perfect."

He grinned at her and caught her stealing a tomato slice. "Hey! You better be replacing that."

She winked and went back to her chicken. Taking the chicken from the pan, she left the juice in the pan and crushed some Roquefort cheese and sour cream. After five minutes of stirring it with a wooden spoon, she had a creamy sauce and the lightly pink chicken was placed back in to finish cooking over the gentle fire. The two of them worked in silence save for Rudy's humming. Aurora couldn't help but watch him as he rolled out the dough, removing his sweater and exposing his ripped arms in that white tee-shirt. He caught her staring and smiled, and she felt weak in the knees. He was too good for her. She melted some butter and oil in a saucepan as some cheese grated itself and the brown onions were cutting. While she did, she couldn't help but picture them together, years from now, doing this same routine in their own mansion. They'd have a mansion. Rudy would be wealthy. And every now and then they'd dismiss their elf to make the food themselves…and they'd have a beautiful kitchen like this and he'd hum under his breath and she'd flirt carelessly with him in his white tee-shirt. And over in the dining room, on the table in a small carrier, a baby would rock quietly with his handsome features and her blue eyes…

"Aurora! Potatoes!"

Aurora snapped out of her daydreams to turn the potatoes and finish making her onion soup. With the onions soft in the butter and oil, she sprinkled flour and blended it before deciding against the wine and adding a little bit of whiskey instead. A little salt and pepper and she left the soup to simmer next to the cooking potatoes and chicken.

"Okay," Aurora sighed, blowing some hair from her face and glancing around. "Salad?"

"Check!" Rudy said, holding up the large bowl full of a delicious looking dinner salad.

"Breadsticks?"

"In the oven!"

"Chicken's cooking, soups on, potatoes have a few more minutes…Rudy! Green beans! Make sure you add a knob of butter and a drop of olive oil. A touch of saffron might give them a kick as well."

"Trying to kill me Sinistra?" Rudy chided with a grin, grabbing the beans and casually tossing them to the counter, pointing his wand and catching them mid-air with magic. The beans opened themselves and poured into a container.

"Not yet," Aurora replied. "I can't eat all of this alone."

Rudy laughed. "Oh so after?"

"After, there's dessert to consider."

Rudy glanced at her and saw her flirty little smirk. He matched it.

"Chocolate something, right?"

"Chocolate man sounds good to me…" Aurora said, and unable to keep it serious, she giggled and he shook his head at her.

As Rudy preoccupied himself with the rest of the dinner, Aurora started on the dessert she had promised him. In a medium saucepan, she poured water, salt and cubed butter, boiling it to a melt. Then she removed it from the stove and added flour and sugar and stirred until it became a pastry ball. Once it was cooled, she flicked her wand to add eggs and sat back while it all beat together. Then she used a teaspoon to display balls of paste on a baking sheet, of a walnut size, and set it in the oven to bake. The potatoes finished, the chicken finished, the breadsticks and green beans finished and smelled wonderful. Rudy excused himself to wash up and find a wine, and Aurora removed the choux (dessert) from the oven and sliced them horizontally. Next to her, the chocolate sauce prepared itself; small squares of chocolate mixed with three teaspoons of milk in a saucepan. It melted over the oven and then double cream added itself, stirring in until it was creamy and a thick chocolate. Aurora smiled and took out some vanilla ice-cream, adding a small ball to each of the choux's and then pouring the chocolate sauce over them. Casting a freezing spell on it until it was ready to eat; she set the tray aside and waved her wand again. Everything in the kitchen, moved to the dining room table. There she hand-lit the candles and smiled at her perfect dinner. She had done a damn fine job, if she did say so herself. It looked, and smelled, delicious. And what's more, the entire atmosphere was perfectly romantic.

* * *

Aurora looked up from the survey of her handiwork and smiled at Rudy, saw her own tender, soft affection and pride reflected in his face. "See? We make a good team."

Aurora hugged him, buried her face in his tee-shirt.

"Go and get that apron off, starshine. No aprons at a fine table like this."

She couldn't help herself beaming as she looked around at the kitchen, already cleaning itself up for her. She draped the apron over the oven handle and looked at Rudy as he pulled his sweater back on over his head. He proffered her his arm formally.

He strode back into the empty dining room. "ANNOUNCING THE LADY AURORA SINISTRA, MASTER CHEF AND DAMN FINE PIECE OF ASS—"Aurora elbowed him. "AND NOT TO MENTION THE BEARER OF A FANTASTIC PAIR OF LEGS—"

"ESCORTED BY THE DULLEST ARSE EVER TO HIT HOGWARTS, SO DON'T BOTHER LOOKING," Aurora said, laughing.

Rudy pinched her.

He escorted her to her seat, pulled out her chair and pushed it in as she sat. It was a flawless movement. Rudy secretly thanked Circe for good timing. He was terrible at pushing in chairs, and usually didn't bother. He laid her napkin over her lap, poured water from fine crystal to fine crystal. Aurora fingered the scrollwork and filigree in one of the silver utensils at her plate, the wooden handle shining. The edge of the silk tablecloth fluttered as knights on horseback chased a boar around the corner.

Even in finishing school, such finery had been beyond Aurora. It seemed so strange to be a part of it now.

The wine cork popped slightly as Rudy pulled it from the neck of the bottle, jerking Aurora away from her thoughts. Rudy poured her a taste of it, sitting slightly on the edge of the table as she swirled it in her glass, smelled it, and drank.

"It's good," she said. "A good medium build and body…"

Rudy rolled his eyes. "You Frenchie wine snob."

"I can fake it," Aurora laughed. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs, holding her glass silently up to Rudy. He obediently filled it, and stood to go and fill his own. Aurora was secretly sorry he left his perch. He really did have a magnificently sculpted backside.

He raised his own filled glass. "Toasts," he said.

Aurora held hers aloft slightly, resting the bowl of the glass on her fingers. Rudy swallowed, looking at her. He couldn't see her legs, but her wrist reminded him of them. Beautiful.

"To Circe," he said, "for her gifts are great and her goodness knows no bounds."

Aurora inclined her head and sipped. "And to you, starshine, for preparing the best-smelling onion soup I've ever kitchen-tasted."

Rudy sipped, and then sat, feeling almost silly. Why make toasts when it was just the two of them?

"I have one," Aurora said, staring at him. "To your ass," she said, "for being unforgettable."

There was a short silence, and then they both burst out laughing.

"You mooned me—"

"I should do it more often, as you've been complimentary all day…"

She raised her glass and sipped it. "To your ass, anyway, whether I asked to see it or not." She glanced up at him through the laughter, and could tell that his chest was swelling. She wondered briefly if he could sense when it happened. Probably not, she thought wryly to herself, and dug into her salad.

* * *

When the salad had disappeared, their conversation had migrated to Quidditch. Rudy stood.

"We'll just have to agree to disagree."

"How can you think chasing is irrelevant? That's absurd!"

"I'm telling you, defense is a better game plan. You must defend the snitch from the opposing seeker. Chasing seems kind of pointless compared to seeking."

"Then why do you spend so much time wrecking my plays?"

"I need something to do while the seekers are, you know, seeking." He winked at her as he took her plate and replaced it with soup. Aurora grabbed a breadstick and made a rude gesture at him with it, both her fists wrapped around the bread. Rudy snickered.

"Seriously, Aurora. I've been looking forward to this since you told me you were making it. It smells amazing."

"You need to come into the dining room after my mother and I have shut ourselves in the kitchen for a few hours. This is nothing in comparison."

"What is my mother going to teach you? Maybe she'll teach you how to dance…"

"I thought the only thing a swing dancer needed was a good lead?"

"I was just saying that to woo you," Rudy snickered into his soup. "But, this is seriously the best onion soup I have ever tasted. Holy Circe."

"You're just saying that to woo me again."

Rudy glanced up at her, smirking. "Is it working?"

"Very well," Aurora said playfully, flicking a spare crouton across the table at him.

"Good." Rudy grinned into his soup bowl.

"Perhaps I shall have to start resisting you…"

Rudy shrugged. "I am irresistible."

"Incorrigible, maybe."

"That too," Rudy grinned.

* * *

Rudy cleared the dishes again, pausing to refill Aurora's wine glass. He set a clean plate down in front of her, and then squinted at the magnificent bird in the middle of the table. He lifted the meat fork and carving knife in his hands, twirled the knife with his wrist once, and cut into the chicken. It steamed perfectly. He delicately sliced off a piece and deftly laid it on Aurora's plate with a flourish.

Aurora stared at his hands, at the way they could so elegantly hold such large utensils, at the exact way he cut into the meat. Rudy glanced at her and smirked. "I always have to cut the meat for meals," he said. "When my father isn't around. Do you want more?"

Aurora nodded slowly, and Rudy twirled the knife in his wrist again, before cutting another slice of the breast away and laying it down on her plate. Her stare caught his eye. Instead of going for the spoon, to pour some of the sauce over her meat, he dropped both fork and knife with a clatter over her plate, reached in deep and grabbed the arms of her chair, and kissed her. She smelled like wine. Her head tipped back and Rudy leaned in still closer, kissing her gorgeous neck.

"Maybe saffron is an aphrodisiac," he breathed near her ear.

"Maybe you should go and finish your dinner," Aurora said coyly, pushing him away. Rudy cursed silently. The minx. The tease. The Siren, again. "You're so greedy. You get a fine meal from me, and now you want a snog, too?"

"Yes. Exactly." Rudy shook his head slightly, and carved a few pieces of meat for himself, dolling out a few spoonfuls of sauce, twirling the knife in his wrist every time. "It would be rude not to snog me, especially as the Veloces were so kind as to let me borrow their kitchen, in hopes of earning a snog."

Aurora cocked an eyebrow at him as he served the sauce over her own meat. "Besides," Rudy said, "you don't have a choice. This is my plan. Snogging is in the plan, and as I got everything else I wanted… I shall not be denied my snog, either."

He stole another kiss from her lips before he sat in his chair, just to prove the point.

* * *

The next course came as a surprise to Aurora. Instead of reaching for the fantastically sculpted profiteroles draped so delicately with chocolate, Rudy disappeared into the kitchen and emerged with his napkin over his arm, two small plates in his hand. "Can't have a French dinner without a cheese course," he said slyly.

"When did you prepare a cheese course?"

"When you were bewitching spoons and staring at my behind."

"I would have seen you!"

"May a man have no secrets?"

"No," Aurora said. "Not from me." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Rudy. He chuckled at her.

"Call it a mystery, then. Now…" He cleared his throat, and in his best imitation of a French accent, he began to name the cheeses. "We have a sweeter cheese, Boerenkaas, to start; an intense, but not pungent Epoisses; a sharper Vermont Shepherd, slightly seasoned and nicely nutty; my personal favorite, a buttery Pierre Robert; and to finish, a fine Irish blue—Cashel Blue—not harsh, but slightly saline. I recommend the toast instead of the cracker. Bon appétit!"

"Rudy, you really do need to learn French," she said through her laughter. "Your accent is atrocious."

She leaned back in her chair to look at him. Rudy could see every curve of her body. As though he looked down her shirt without seeing her flesh; the incredible way her long legs crossed over the other, the flush in her face from the wine, the way her toe lifted just slightly to caress his calf…

He reached behind him clumsily and pulled an unused chair towards him. He sat, and smiled suavely. Aurora continued to pet his leg with her shoe, and she closed her eyes and opened her mouth.

Rudy passed a hand over his face before he spread some of the Pierre Robert over toast, and placed it in her mouth. She caught his finger between her lips, licked the tip of it slightly. Rudy withdrew his hand, to pass his fingers over her beautiful lips as she chewed and swallowed. Suddenly he was gripping her jaw, and her mouth opened automatically to his, almost as anxious to receive his kiss as he was to give it.

Rudy tore himself away, went to sit down at his own cheese plate and eat. _Not right now… you're going to screw everything up if you let her get you horny—just calm your ass down—_

_

* * *

_

The dessert course was highly anticipated by both Aurora and Rudy. Aurora loved profiteroles, especially when they were covered in chocolate. Unless she was much mistaken, her skill in the kitchen had also been affected by her good mood and company, and she suspected that the dessert might have been prepared even better than usual. She could hardly wait to dig into it, but it again eluded her. Rudy picked up the carefully prepared plates, but set them on a tray.

"I have plans for this dish," he said.

"I have plans for it too," Aurora countered, and reached out towards one of the plates, dabbing some chocolate onto her finger. "And that is for me to eat it right now. Besides, this whole day has been nothing but your plan. I am tired of your plan making."

"Hey," Rudy said, slapping her hand away as he set down two clean glasses he'd retrieved from the bar. "I told you. This is my plan, and I shall not be denied. Stay away from the chocolate."

He poured a small dessert wine for Aurora, and a whiskey for himself, and Aurora managed to sneak another dab of chocolate and suck it off of her fingers. Rudy draped his napkin over his arm and lifted the tray.

"A few more surprises. Come on, starshine." He nodded towards the door of the dining room, and Aurora stood to follow him.

Rudy managed to get the tray all the way up the staircase, though it was a small miracle with the number of times Aurora had pinched him playfully. She seemed to have no mind that the beverages were of the finest quality and very expensive… but she did consent to stop pinching him when he almost lost the dessert.

"Open that door, please." Rudy said as they reached the end of the stairs, three floors up, and Aurora shoved open the heavy wooden door, leading them out onto the roof of the townhouse and into a perfect sunset. Rudy grinned. "Good timing," he said, and led her over to a pair of low couches, side by side, and a short table. He set the plates down on the table and helped Aurora sit, smiling affectionately as she kicked off her shoes. She always kicked off her shoes, first thing.

"Are you cold? Would you like a blanket?"

Aurora batted her eyelashes at him. "I won't be cold if you sit with me…"

Rudy grinned. He hoped it was the atmosphere, and not the alcohol, that was bringing the flirt out in Aurora. She scooted forward to make room for him, and then folded herself up against his chest, pulling her plate over her knees.

She looked sadly at the perfect profiterole before she cut into the stack of dough and ice-cream, knocking it over and smearing the clean plate. The ice-cream was still cold, and the dough still warm, and it flaked, slightly, as she sank her fork into it. She moaned as she chewed and swallowed.

"Orgasmic?" Rudy asked.

"Triple-O," Aurora said, and delved in again after a swallow of the thick, sweet dessert wine.

Rudy chuckled, reaching awkwardly behind him to take a bite of his own dessert. "Wow," he said, shortly. "That is incredible."

"See? I told you," Aurora teased.

"You women. It's like nothing is better than chocolate for you."

"Incorrect," Aurora chided. "Only sex is better than chocolate."

Rudy choked on his whiskey, slightly. "Excuse me?" His grin was surprised. "How would you know?"

"Well," Aurora said, dropping her voice conspiratorially, "your kisses are a pretty good indicator."

She squirmed slightly against him. Rudy took a deep breath, and then he was kissing her. He had slid down into the pillows of the couch, and Aurora kneeled over him, holding his scruffy face in her hands.

"No," he said, but his lips could not resist her neck.

"No what?" She teased.

"You're going to ruin it…"

"Ruin what? I thought you wanted a snog, and you taste like chocolate."

"You taste like wine…" he was lost in her scent and her taste again, but only for a moment. He jerked himself back to reality. "The telescope…"

Aurora suddenly withdrew from him, and Rudy leaned forward, but kissed air.

"Telescope?"

"Yes," Rudy said, cursing himself. "Telescope. On the other side of the chimney. For you."

Aurora was off in an instant, and Rudy beat his forehead with his own fist before he got up and followed her over. She had already stuck her wand into the controlling mechanism, and was pointing the lens at the twilight above her, leaning low, her legs splayed out behind her. Rudy approached her slowly, his hand floating over her lower back.

"Eleven inches of pure focusing aperture… I can see anything…" She stroked the side of the telescope lovingly, and turned to Rudy, grinning.

"I want to take your picture. Is that okay?"

Aurora nodded, draping her arm over the lens as though she and the telescope were already best friends. Rudy snapped the picture, green smoke coiling into the air above his head. He waved it away and smiled at her. "No more crappy school telescopes that are always broken or pranked with shoe polish. The Veloces bought this one, but they liked their old one better. They said you could have it, if you were interested."

"Interested… LOOK at this…" She pointed the lens up at a steep angle, and her backside rose higher into the air.

Rudy's hand stroked her back, ran over the curve of her backside and down her thigh.

"Can it wait?"

"Rudy, seriously…" Aurora was lost in the images of the sky she saw.

Rudy couldn't handle it anymore. He grabbed her by the neck and tugged her out from under the eyepiece. "Whatever it is, will it be there tomorrow?"

Aurora stared at him, at the heat that she saw in his face and his eyes, at the way every muscle in his body was tensed. She nodded dumbly.

Rudy shoved her backwards, and Aurora stumbled into the chimney. Rudy wrapped his arms around her waist, and one approached her breast from behind…

She dug her fingernails into his chest, pressed one hand low, lower, tucked her fingers behind his belt and scratched at his lower abdomen.

Rudy threw up a knee and knocked her backwards into the chimney again. Aurora pushed her hand lower… Rudy grabbed her wrist and slammed it back into the chimney, pinning her there, kissing her neck furiously, breathing hard. He drug her other hand up behind his head, pushed her fingers across the nape of his neck and into his hair. Chills rocketed across his body, and he groaned into her neck.

"I want you," he breathed, into her ear. She brushed her fingers through his hair again, and he shuddered obediently. "I want you, I want you, I want you…"

* * *

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_


	23. Becoming One

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 23

* * *

_Oh gods_…Aurora could hardly think anything more than that_. Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods_…his hands, searching her body relentlessly. His lips, searing her neck with seductive nips, and a beguiling tongue that would be sure to leave red from her collar to her jaw. His hair, clenched tight in her hand and smelling wonderfully. And then his body—_gods_ his body—she could feel every inch of him pressed against her, keeping her from squirming away, pinning her to the chimney and leaving her at his mercy. It almost scared her how forceful he was, for thoughts of Avery momentarily flitted through her mind as Rudy bit just under her ear. Yet as quickly as the scare had come, it diminished She was so turned on she couldn't think straight. He stole a gasp from her lips. Where was she again? Whose house was this?

"Oh my…Rudy…" Her voice wasn't working and she closed her eyes momentarily, trying to ignore where his hand was. What was wrong with her? "Rudy." She could only say his name with any resonance, and even then it was a feeble attempt at getting his attention. She arched into the feel of his hand on her breast and let out a low breath, failing miserably at the attempt to compose herself.

Rudy grunted in response to her beckoning but did not slow. He was going to have her—she was already submitting. He had never been so sure of something in his life. Aurora was his, and he was not going to be denied her. Not that he didn't care whether or not she wanted it too; he did. But she wanted it—he could feel her pulling his hair, directing his lips to spots and purposefully giving him more of her body to explore. He loved her and he wanted to explore just how far that love went. He had never felt like this before.

"Rudy…" This time her hand pulled his head away from her neck and he looked up at her with wild eyes, breathing hard. "Rudy, not here…"

He could feel her rapid heartbeat they were pressed so tightly together. Even as she staid him, her eyes were fierce and seductive. Frankly, Rudy didn't CARE where. He just wanted it and soon. But Aurora kept him firmly at bay with her resoluteness. Now that she had actually gotten him off her neck, she had a little easier time thinking.

"Aurora—"

"No, Rudy. Not here." Aurora's voice was firmer than his and her hand gently released his hair, smoothing it out with a tender caress. "I want you to take me…but not here."

Rudy saw the small smile and felt on fire. She DID want it. She WANTED him to take her as his own. She was completely in agreement and willing…

"The attic then," Rudy nodded, fighting every urge his body was thriving on. Gods she was a handful. But it would be worth it, he assured himself. It would be so worth it…and truthfully, Rudy liked the idea of shagging her in his attic. It was his spot; where he wrote his poetry and gazed at the moon. Where he had spent countless hours with her flirting, snogging, studying, and sleeping. It was their home, in a sense, and what better place to consummate their love than the place they felt most in love? On the comfort of their couch, under the moonlight, surrounded by their personal effects…Circe, he could do this forever. He could be in love forever. It was a right fine way to be, he realized.

Aurora nodded as well and leaned forward to kiss him gently. Rudy was careful not to get too hung up in it and quickly broke away, his body in a tedious predicament. Aurora smirked at him and he released her wrist, which she rubbed tenderly.

"Race you back," Aurora dared. With a wink she had turned in his arms and apparated to just outside the school grounds.

To her amazement, Rudy did not follow immediately. But she knew he would come—the desire in his eyes was intense and it was only torture for her to prolong it like this. As she made her way back to Hogwarts her mind replayed the words, "I want you," a thousand times over. He _wanted_ her. No one had ever wanted Aurora before. No one had bothered to notice the shy, studious Ravenclaw born of a squib father. No one had kissed her, held her, read poetry to her... No one, she was quite sure, had ever considered shagging her…at least, not because they loved her. Rudy loved her. _He loved her!_ Gods she was giddy with it. She felt like she was floating and her feet bounced with each step. This was it. Despite the warnings that echoed in her head, voices from the school nurse to her father to her best friends horror stories, despite her own brief trepidation, Aurora wanted to give him everything. She didn't know how long they had together in truth. Their clock had started counting down since the first day they had kissed and with break approaching… Aurora had been wondering for some time if Rudy would go home to his father and come back single once again. She knew better than to press Rudy about the matter, but she wanted to make sure he knew she was committed. Aurora loved him, with all her heart, and she was not afraid of him. Was not afraid of this…not really…

Of course she knew the basic procedure…kids shagged all the time! What was there to know? Surely Aurora could figure it out…aside from the obvious it was just like snogging…right? Aurora chewed her lip and opened the door to the attic almost expecting Rudy to be up there. Finding herself alone, she walked to the window, still worrying over what she had promised Rudy. It would come naturally, right? It _had_ to come naturally. People had been doing it from the dawn of time, surely it was an instinct. Even though she had never kissed someone before, she had managed that okay. It didn't matter, because Rudy didn't know what he was doing, either. Or did he? Would Rudy know any better than she did? He said he had never shagged someone before…so maybe that meant he wouldn't judge her. Aurora fixed the pin in her hair and crossed her arms self-consciously…what would he think when he saw her without any clothes on? Would he be disappointed? He was always talking about her legs, but Aurora feared her heavier hips and smaller boobs wouldn't fit his perfect Playwizard image. She glanced down at herself…perhaps she shouldn't have eaten so much. And she was dirty from all the cooking…how long would Rudy be and _what_ was holding him up, anyway?

After a few more long minutes of fretting over her body and the intricacies of being shagged, Aurora decided she wanted to look as nice as possible for her love. Running to the shower down the hall, she took one of the fastest in history. She lathered on the lavender soap thick and meticulously scrubbed and shaved every imperfection. What a lot of trouble, she thought, for something that so many regarded as nothing special. But this _was_ special, Aurora concluded. She would not sleep with just anyone. Rudy was different…she loved him. She wanted to share this with him. She wanted him to be her first…and last. A fool's silly hope, she chided herself, but couldn't help the montage of daydreams. She smiled and wrapped a towel around her, wand-drying her hair on her way back up the attic. She panicked as she walked in absently, but there was _still_ no Rudy. Where _was_ he?

Aurora left her hair down and dug through her clothes. Nothing seemed appropriate for such a situation. What did people wear for such events?

"Nothing," Aurora giggled, dropping her sundress and shaking her head. "You're just going to take it off anyway, Aurora. Come on, pull yourself together."

She felt like an amateur and an idiot. Every girl in her room gossiped about such things—those in the school that had just shagged and those that would never get shagged again. She didn't want to be one of those people. She didn't want Rudy to be uncomfortable and leave her because of how awkward it would end up. She didn't want a relationship that was only about the sex either…but to know you COULD get away with it from time to time…why, it felt like a milestone for her. Aurora glanced over her shoulder at Rudy's neatly folded clothes. Apparently Dizzy had had a hand in cleaning the room. Everything was neat and folded, the couch had a few nice pillows added and was arranged more neatly. The desks were flawless and set with vases of fresh flowers. Aurora waved her wand once and lit the three candles next to the couch and smiled again. It was a romantic touch. ...Now she was craving chocolate. Again. _Chocolate man_, she thought, echoing her earlier words. Now _that_ truly sounded good. If Rudy would just show up, already.

Standing and stretching, she went over to Rudy's clean clothes and picked up the top shirt pressing it to her nose and letting the towel fall to the floor. It was almost as if she could imagine him holding her right now. His smell was intoxicating and all worries suddenly vanished as she slipped the larger green button up tee over her slender shoulders. There was a small mirror that Aurora had placed there at the beginning of their dating, and now she looked at herself and laughed. She looked utterly drowned in the shirt, it being just long enough for a mini-dress. She giggled and rolled up the sleeves to her elbows with some difficulty and unbuttoned the top few. Aurora nodded at herself and winked. She felt hot in nothing but Rudy's shirt, his smell engulfing her and the warmth of the material just enough to keep her comfortable. It showed her legs nicely and she decided what the hell? Why bother changing when this was more than enough already…

"Saves him the trouble of figuring out a bra anyway." Aurora laughed and tucked some hair behind her ear, folding her towel and lounging out on the couch. "He better have a good excuse…" She grumbled. She had no doubt that he would eventually come for her; they were in love. And he was horny. A simple enough equation, except for this unexpected delay... He probably had to clean up the place, she figured. They had left the dining room in a state of disarray, but still! He had almost shagged her on the roof—how long was he going to punish himself? She was sitting here, nothing but his shirt on, and wishing this could just HAPPEN so she didn't have to sit and worry about it…and he was nowhere to be found.

Aurora sighed and turned her gaze outside. The stars were coming out. Her stars. She lost herself to gazing at them, waiting for Rudy.

* * *

Rudy beat his head against the brick of the chimney. "Get yourself together…" He stood up and turned again—and winced again—and let out a groan. "NOT fair… why did she have to apparate, of all things…" He pressed the heel of his hand against his belt, but it did no good. He was still in an absolutely impossible position to apparate.

He closed his eyes in the night air, Aurora and her coy smile imprinted into the blackness. He could feel lust surging through him again, he knocked his head backwards, but the pain did not deter his one-track body.

He fumbled for his wand, took a deep breath… he grunted pleasurably, stumbled, and fell hard on his ass. "Wrong spell… not that spell…" He shook his wand. Sometimes, the thing seemed to know what he _really_ wanted. It saw through him, knew he didn't want to apparate, and would not help. Not that his brain was helping much either, at the moment. He couldn't think. His body pulsed with thoughts of her. "Aurora…"

He fiercely opened his eyes and stared across the roof into the blackness. Furiously concentrating, Rudy managed to produce a spray of obscenely cold water. He sat up, gasping. "That was the right spell." He took a few deep breaths, and stood up shakily. He blasted himself with another spray of cold water before taking careful steps back towards the staircase, descended them slowly. He gathered up his gifts for Aurora—placed them back in the wooden box. Poured himself another whiskey and leaned against the counter, the smell of dinner drowning the smell of Aurora in his nostrils.

Looking over the debris of his elaborate seduction, Rudy's brow creased. Did he really want to do this? Well, of course he did. Should he do it? Was it something he could ask of her? He was only planning on bringing it up- well, not that way, but... it wasn't supposed to be tonight, although tonight was perfect, and she said she was willing... He could just stay here and get drunk… go to Nick's… he and Nick would have a good time…

"RUDY. CALM YOUR ASS DOWN." He'd been planning this moment for ages. Of course he wanted her. He was not going to be deterred… was he? And she wanted him back… she was waiting for him in their attic, in their tower… what was she thinking about?

"Shouldn't have… shouldn't have seduced her like this… should have talked to her about it when we WEREN'T horny and heady with wine…"

He downed the rest of his glass of whiskey, and attempted to apparate. Another failure. "WHAT are you so nervous about? You were driven five seconds ago—will you just fucking apparate? Circe, Rudy—"

Another failure.

What if he hurt her? What if she got pregnant? What if he sprayed all over her before they even got anywhere?

_What if, what if, what if._

…and then there was another voice in his head. _What if she likes it? What if she turns those big eyes up at you and shudders…_

"DIZZY!" The elf appeared with a ready smile and a small pop on the floor of the kitchen. "I need to get back to the attic… and I need you to clear up this place, and the telescope on the roof delivered to me at school and Circe help you if you break it."

Dizzy stared at him. "Is that being everything? Dizzy be cleaning, and be not doing nuffink to the telescope but bring it to you, and Dizzy be very happy to be bringing you to the attic. But first Dizzy has a message for Master Rudy, if he wants to hear it—"

"Who's it from?"

"Young Master Veloce, Master Rudy—"

"Sure."

Dizzy smiled slyly, reached into her placemat, and pulled out a condom. "He doesn't be saying nuffink, he just be saying to give you this."

Rudy pocketed the condom, and grinned, every ounce of his earlier confidence flooding back into him. Dizzy latched onto her master's boot, and one crushing moment later, she patted his knee and disappeared again.

Rudy stared at the door, his grin spreading yet still further, his whole body swelling with anticipation. His eyes bright with excited desire, he pushed open the door.

* * *

She caught him off guard, perched there on the couch, her legs flowing so seamlessly into her naked buttox and hips, cut off by his familiar shirt. She crossed one leg over the other, laying back with her arms behind her head, smirking at him.

"Well I had more than enough time to worry about getting ready… where were you?"

Rudy stared, his heart starting to pound. "That is… hot…"

Aurora nodded slowly. "It smells like you, too. Did you get me another present?" It was a gentle tease.

Rudy smirked, and flipped the condom at her with his wrist. "Thought you might appreciate that."

Aurora picked it up and twirled it in her fingers. "Let me put it on, then."

Rudy sank down onto the couch, pulled her knees uncrossed, kissed them both. He pulled her legs towards him and ran his hands over her smooth, naked thighs. "You have the most gorgeous legs." He could not resist giving her hip a small spank, just to feel the flesh better under his hands.

He looked down into her face and saw his shirt rise and fall with her heaving breasts.

"Kiss me." His voice was low and authoritative. He commanded her kiss, and she was suddenly sitting up and plowing her fingers through his hair, covering his face with adoring lips. He pushed his fingers lower...Aurora flushed and squirmed.

Rudy withdrew his hand, and blushed himself. "I'm sorry—I didn't mean to—"

Aurora cursed her shyness. "It's okay," she reassured him. She reached out to guide his hand back to her, and then he was touching her again, pressing more deeply into her…

"Show me." Another command. His voice… Aurora swallowed and molded her hand over to Rudy's fingers, helping them find their way. She jumped, slightly, as they did.

"Rudy…"

He pressed his fingers into her. She squirmed and leaned into him, sitting on his lap, pressing her pert nipples against his chest.

Suddenly his lips were locked around hers, swallowing the small noises she made as he began in earnest to attempt this seduction. It seemed to be working… she seemed to be enjoying herself… this was how the magazines and the books had said it was done…

Her whole body tensed and jerked towards his hand, her hips almost snapping with the movement, surprising Aurora. It _was_ natural! It would come naturally. Aurora almost laughed out loud as the relief flooded her, moaned as Rudy continued insistently to drive her so crazy with his hand… it wasn't fair…

She scrambled at his belt buckle. "I want it. I want you. Right now." His pants stubbornly refused to open for a moment, but then the zipper was down and Aurora reached in with a boldness she did not know she had.

His hand gripped the back of her neck and he stared into her face, wild, dangerous looking. Aurora was suddenly overwhelmed with an urge to laugh, but before the giggle escaped her she was jerked out of her brain by Rudy. He stood suddenly, knocking her backwards onto the couch. He yanked off his sweater and squirmed out of his pants, so naked so quickly.

Aurora hesitated, lost in staring at him. He was David. He was utterly perfect. She blinked, taking in the dusting of hair on his body, the scattering of scars... perfect and real, and hers...

Rudy drew his hand far back and swiped her arms out of the way, pushed her down on the couch, pressed his legs around one of hers, pressed himself into her thigh. He scrambled for the buttons on the green shirt, just as he had scrambled with his own clothes. Aurora's hands were in his hair. She was kissing him, kissing him…

Rudy parted the shirt and saw her there and he immediately buried his face in her chest. The smell. The smell of a woman's breast. Gods! He kissed them roughly, pressing his hands over them, his scruff scratching at her...

Then quite suddenly he jerked her up by her arms and sat her on his lap. Aurora looked surprised, as though she were still recovering from the initial feel of his face against her bare skin. But then she grabbed hold of his shoulders and was guided dutifully towards heaven...

* * *

Aurora's entire body burned. She had had no idea it would feel like this, look like this…and she liked it. Much of it had felt incredibly natural for the most part, surprises aside. But now with Rudy embedded deep inside of her, Aurora had to pause. Her breath was escaping her with sharp inhales as the sensation and feel completely took a hold of her. Part of her hurt…Circe did it hurt…but another part of her was much more insistent that it was the most glorious feeling she had ever experienced. She was no longer conscious of her actions and her body was trembling with the waves of both pleasure and pain that such motions. She couldn't think. She couldn't control the gasps or moans that escaped her or the speed at which she rocked against him. One arm was wrapped around his neck, embedding her nails into the nape and pressing his head into her chest. And the other hand gripped his shoulder with a bone-crushing force.

"Rudy…" She gasped, a sudden pang of pleasure grabbing the entire of her body. A slight sweat had started to form on her brow. "Gods…" How was this happening? How could it feel so wonderful and painful all at the same time? Her body was so greedy; it wanted more.

"More…more…" She fisted his hair and pulled, tugging his eyes up to meet hers. "Please Rudy," She moaned as he smirked, answering her plea. She arched into him and he felt the pain coming from where her fingernails had embedded themselves, but he liked to see her squirm. She was experimenting, he knew, and getting a feel for him. But she was not being nearly aggressive enough to quench his desire. Her body belonged to him now, and it was only a matter of time before he took her entirely.

"Lie down," Rudy grunted, pulling his head back. Aurora knew better than to disobey and frankly she was in no state to argue anyway. Slowly she slid off his lap, gritting her teeth with the pain that followed, and leaned back against the couch, watching him between her bent knees.

Rudy studied her for a moment, took in every detail from the tip of her toe to the startling eyes that were examining him just as closely. Aurora still couldn't get over his body. She wanted him so badly her body ached. She stretched a leg towards him in playful beckoning, but he caught it, kissing each of her toes lightly and sending the shivers racing up her spine. Gods he was good.

He smirked up at her and kissed all the way up over her bellybutton, between her breasts, and to her lips. Aurora ate at his lips hungrily. She could taste dinner, the faintest touch of whiskey, but overall, she tasted him. Never before had it seemed so natural to want to kiss someone like this, but she kissed him with all she had and wrapped her legs around his waist without thinking. She felt dirty and beautiful and daring and shy all at the same time…

It was her Rudy, and she his starshine. They were as close to being one person as humanly possible. Aurora had never felt so secure in her life. She didn't have to worry about pleasing him, about any mistakes or flaws of her body…he was here, with her, both young lovers experiencing this for the first time and Aurora knew she could not love him more than in that instant. She scratched at his neck gently…he was so perfect in every way. She was overwhelmed.

* * *

Rudy's body was functioning without him and it felt so bloody GOOD. He couldn't get enough of her. Whether in pain or not, Rudy had to shag her senseless. Everything about her turned him on; the way her lips parted when she moaned. The press of her breasts against him when she arched and shuddered so visibly; what power! To make her such a trembling mess!

"Gods Aura…"

She pushed his head back to look at his face, held him up by his ears so that she could see his face. She had to have something to focus on. The room was spinning. Her heart was beating so quickly. There was no anchor, there was no control over anything, except being able to look into his face…

He met her gaze fiercely, his eyes hard, his face sweating and aflame. Again, he lanced into her...

Her hands fell away, but she forced herself to look around for him—she felt sick, her body was so warm she was sick with it—they found his face again, and she held on tightly this time, wrapping her fingers in his hair, refusing to let go or look away or be distanced.

Rudy saw the determination in her face. How she reached for him!

His brow knitted in pleasure. He could not look away from her face—Aura, his Aura, there was nothing except for her.

Breathing was difficult. His chest was tight, his throat was tight, every inch of his body had filled with the pulsing. Air came in searing, hot gasps, and still Aurora clung to his face, held his eyes.

He was breaking apart. So close, so close… "Please, Aurora… gods… aura… aura… PLEASE—" he begged her for it. Begged for release, begged to be pitched that one last stitch forward…his body shook with the effort of bringing it forth, and it would not go…

"Come to me." She commanded him to let go, jerking his head down towards hers and kissing him fiercely.

Control leaked out of his brain. There was no thought. She arched hugely and screamed into his kiss with the pain and the effort of it, raked her nails across his neck…

Rudy lost all sense of rhythm and motion. He nearly froze, his consciousness breaking down like an overheated machine. He cried out, several times, once more, once more again...

* * *

Over. It was over. It was… hot. Aurora had not expected that.

Rudy's hands rested on her hips, steadying him as his pleasure coursed through his whole body. He had never felt so warm and so happy in his whole life. It filled him, turned him to exhausted, nearly drooling putty.

"I love you…" he praised, and Aurora could hear the grin on his face.

"I love you too, Rudy." Hers was a whisper. She stroked his hair as he collapsed over her, separate from the soreness and the pain and the tears on her face.

"You were so good, Aura. You must be a natural. That was amazing. I love you. I love you…"

Rudy suddenly picked himself up and adjusted them, holding her as he pressed his back to the couch, leaving Aurora wincing. She drew her knees up, curling into a ball, and settled back against Rudy. Her Rudy. Rudy and his warm, sweat slick skin. He wrapped his arm around her waist and hugged her close.

She brushed his arm, pulled up a blanket from the floor. "I love you."

"I didn't screw it up, then?"

Aurora giggled. "I'd say that's exactly what you did."

Rudy laughed too, deeply. His whole body shook with it. He sighed when he regained himself, and kissed her shoulder sleepily.

"Five star, starshine." He closed his eyes and settled into the pillow they shared, unable to keep the exhaustion at bay for another moment.

Yes, Aurora thought to herself, looking dreamily out the window from her perch in Rudy's arms. Stars for starshine. They had never before seemed to her so close, nor so bright.

* * *

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	24. All the empty spaces

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 24

* * *

Aurora woke to sunlight streaming into the window. She sat up immediately—had they slept through another class? She groaned—Slughorn would give them detention—She nudged Rudy and threw off their blankets, and blinked. Right, she remembered. That's what we were doing. She blinked again, and then sat up and groaned out loud.

"We're late—and we're FILTHY—we can't go to class like this. Oh Rudy—Circe, I'm sore…"

"Relax, Sinistra… it's Sunday…" Rudy aimlessly groped for her arm and pulled her back down. "Chill. Go back to sleep."

Aurora glanced over at him, barely covered with any blanket at all. His hair stuck out at odd angles, and she smiled. He always looks so harmless when he slept… though she had never seen him sleep naked, before. Perhaps he seemed less vulnerable, that way.

Aurora brushed her hand along his arm. He was so strong. What did he do to keep up the physique? They spent so much time together, surely it wasn't just Quidditch… maybe it was natural.

Rudy grunted at her. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. You're just sexier naked than you are with clothes on." Aurora smirked as she saw his grin spread across his sleeping face.

"Just like someone else I know…"

Aurora smacked him. "Come on, get up. I want a bath."

"I don't know if you want a bath—I think you want more sex…"

Aurora winced and held her hands up protectively. "No. You are not coming near me again for a week."

Rudy's eyes snapped open. "What? What do you mean?"

Aurora frowned at him. "It hurts. I'm sore. Have you looked at my legs? It's not exactly wine, you know—"

Rudy was immediately penitent. "I'm sorry—I got carried away, I didn't—I didn't mean—"

Aurora smiled consolingly. "You couldn't help it. It's always that way the first time. Doesn't help that you're the size of London, though—"

Rudy grinned at her. "You seemed to like it enough last night—couldn't keep your hands off of it—"

"Bath," Aurora ordered sternly. "With a real porcelain tub. Or is that asking too much and your considerable transfigurative talents?"

Rudy pushed himself up and rubbed his face sleepily. He looked down at Aurora, and had to control a momentary gasp. Gods, she was beautiful, all stretched out like that, and nothing to cover her anywhere. Only sunlight…

…and the vestiges of their debauchery. Rudy brushed her thigh, and immediately felt a pang of regret go through him. It wasn't fair. He'd wounded her.

He got up off of the couch and reached towards the wooden box he'd put all of her gifts in the day before, and pulled out the white silk wrapping, leaving the bottles and the apron inside. Fetching a wooden bucket from the corner and fumbling through his discarded clothes for his wand, he perched himself on a chair and started to fill the bucket with water.

Aurora watched with rapt attention. "Did you plan that?"

Rudy blinked at her. "Plan what?"

"Sex?"

Aurora's eyes bored into him. He felt so naked all of a sudden, flooded with dread. "Um…"

"I kind of hoped you wanted to, you know. Have sex. You wanted to yesterday."

"You planned all of that as an elaborate seduction?"

Rudy flushed. "I planned all of it because I thought it would be a nice thing to do for you." Aurora's eyes narrowed at him. "Well, I was going to bring up the idea of sex, yeah. I wasn't expecting to, you know, have it, though. It just kind of happened."

The bucket overflowed slightly, and Rudy cursed under his breath, siphoning the water off the floor. "You're not upset, are you?" He looked back up at Aurora.

Her hand was covering her mouth, her face comported in utter horror.

"What's wrong?"

Aurora extended a single trembling finger to the unwrapped condom, lying on the floor.

* * *

Rudy exhaled. "It's okay. It's okay."

Aurora could have killed him. Her voiced was high-pitched and panicky. "HOW is it okay? Circe, Rudy, what if I'm pregnant—how could we have been so stupid—"

"WE WEREN'T STUPID, OKAY? CALM DOWN!" Rudy was kneeling in front of her, holding her face in both of his hands, forcing her to look at him. She tried to glance back at the condom, but he moved in her line of sight. "I love you. You are being paranoid. And you're not pregnant."

"But—"

"I promise you, you're not pregnant."

"How do you—"

"I'm sterile." Rudy inhaled a sharp breath, as though he had just injured himself. He blushed deeply, but did not look away. "Okay? Can we calm down now?" He stroked Aurora's hair with a hand, and kissed her forehead. She nodded once, and seeing her calm down a little, Rudy returned to his perch on the chair. He swirled his wand in the water, testing it with his hands. "Tell me when this is hot enough, okay?" He playfully flung some of the water at Aurora.

"…Sterile?"

"Yes," Rudy confirmed. "So don't worry about catching the preggers from me."

"I'm sorry," Aurora said, slowly. Rudy wouldn't look at her. "I didn't know."

_No shit, Sherlock._ Rudy cussed himself for the acidity of the thought, it wasn't fair to lash out at Aurora like that, even inside his own head—and shrugged in answer to his girlfriend's pitying stare.

"Were you born that way?"

Rudy still wouldn't look at her. "Something like that."

Aurora didn't press him.

"Here," he said, breaking the momentary silence. He extended a gentle hand to her. "Feel this."

He took her fingers and dipped them in the water of the bucket. "Too hot?"

She shook her head.

"Oookay…" Rudy stood, placing his chair back in the corner and pushing some boxes back as far as he could get them. He waved his wand with a great rolling motion, and the bucket began to grow, filling itself with steaming water as it swelled.

Rudy let it grow to the size of a washbasin before he ended the spell, and then, closing his eyes slightly, he leveled his wand at the oversized bucket. The room crackled slightly, static electricity arcing between the metal fixtures of the ceiling, holding it together…

With a loud crackle, it died away. Rudy opened his eyes, and saw, to his great satisfaction, a porcelain bathtub… full of steaming hot water.

"Didn't know that would work," he said, turning to look at Aurora. "But, as it has, I think you deserve a good soak… and a gentle scrub."

* * *

Aurora couldn't help but watch him closely. It was such a bad habit she had, reading people when they didn't tell her everything. Perhaps it was because she had been such a social outcast for so long that the only way to have a conversation was to read others from across the room. It became a game during some of her more boring classes; watching those around her and making guesses as to what they were thinking. Sometimes two people would converse and Aurora would overhear, smirking because it was obvious person A was lying and person B was ready to punch them. And with Rudy, being as secretive and discreet as she was, it just became second nature to get her answers from the twitch in his lips or the depth of his eyes. He never really complained about it; probably because it saved him from her questions and from having to explain more than he was comfortable. But now she almost felt guilty scrutinizing his moves, trying to read past his dismissive answers. He had seemed so small and vulnerable when he had confined his sterility to her. The blush, the averting of the eyes, the firmness of his hands…Aurora felt terrible. Sleeping with Rudy was one thing; getting pregnant was another. So his being sterile meant she never had to worry about being pregnant…it saved her… but suddenly her long-term plans had a huge notch in them. Nevermind the fact that he probably hadn't even considered half of what Aurora had, marriage and babies and such. Aurora wanted children eventually. And she imagined by the way Rudy had blushed, he did too. But for him it was an impossibility…did she think less of him for it?

"Rudy," Aurora said softly, taking his hand as he helped her step into the tub. She turned and faced him, trying to keep the pity hidden behind a genuine smile. "I love you."

Rudy seemed to visibly relax, her words more that of reassurance than of seduction, and he could see in her eyes the understanding. She pulled him closer and gave him a loving kiss, pressing both her hands against his face. When she parted and sat down with a grimace in the tub, Rudy let out a long slow breath and smiled to himself. He could not have asked for more in a girlfriend. Somehow she made everything feel okay, even when it was something he was so ashamed of. He didn't know if it was in the way she looked at him, or the way she kissed him with just the right amount of love that his entire world was rearranged to feel more comfortable.

He clamored into the tub after her, sitting between her legs as she laid back and let the water run all the way over her shoulders, then deeper still until she had submerged her entire face. She slowly sat back up and wiped the water from her eyes.

"Bloody hell," She sighed, gripping the edges of the tub to help her sit. Rudy could see the pain caress her wet face and it was alarming to watch her struggle so much with a task as simple as sitting up.

He gently took one of her feet and rested it on his thigh, wetting the white silk and slowly washing her, starting at her toes and working his way up. Aurora leaned her head back and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pain and enjoying Rudy's strong hands on her body once again. The silk felt amazing; never had she been treated so regally before and she giggled when Rudy ran over a particularly ticklish spot just above her knee.

He grinned up at her. "Did I find your weak spot?"

"You found my weak spot last night," Aurora said softly, her eyes still closed. Rudy ran the silk over her knee again and she squirmed. "Stop it!"

Rudy laughed. "Someone's ticklish."

"Someone's not going to get some if he keeps tickling me."

Rudy smirked and carefully scrubbed away the blood from the inside of her thigh. It was still hard to look at, and he was happy to see it gone, in it's place Aurora's beautiful slender leg. He continued the wash, switching to her other leg and then leaning over her as he rubbed the silk all over her torso. When his hands wandered around her breasts, Aurora opened her eyes slightly.

"Don't get too feel-y there, Lestrange."

"Afraid of getting turned on?"

"Afraid of turning YOU on."

"I'm always turned on," Rudy smirked leaning forward to kiss her neck softly. "Like I said, you're a natural."

Aurora sat up abruptly and stopped him from kissing her further.

"Rudy?"

"Yeah, starshine?"

"Hold me."

Rudy's brow furrowed as she curled up into him, but he wrapped his arms obediently around her and leaned back, taking her with him. Her hand rested gently over his heart and he was mesmerized by the way her body curled and slid against his. She was so fragile and yet…there was strength there. But what had her recoiling into him now? What had she been thinking that had her so feeble all of a sudden? Aurora didn't say, just kissed the folds of his chest and rubbed her leg casually up against his. She felt oddly comfortable like this. She could feel every inch of him, and now she knew every inch of him. There was nothing to imagine anymore and she felt completely and utterly his. One of his hands ran up and down the curve of her waist, the other rested in her hair. The warm water acted as a blanket and she could've fallen asleep like this had Rudy not spoken softly into her ear.

"What's wrong, Aurora?"

He was not intruding in his questioning, nor harsh. He asked with such love and concern that Aurora smiled softly against him.

"You're not going to leave me?"

Rudy was shocked into silence for a second and then confidently answered with, "No! No…Aurora. Is that what you're worried about?"

"Everyone said you were going to use me for sex." Aurora mumbled, wincing when she shifted in his lap. "…and as much as I wanted it last night, it wasn't because I wanted to have sex. I wanted to have sex _with you_. I wanted it because it felt so right with the person I'm madly in love with…but everyone else—and Avery said—"

"We're not going to listen to Avery," Rudy cut her off. "We're not going to listen to the rumors or the jealous gossip. Aurora, if I was the kind of guy who went with girls just for the sex, would I have still been a virgin as of last night? No offense, but there are easier girls in the school than you."

Aurora and he shared a quiet laugh.

He tilted her chin up gently and looked at her in all seriousness. The eyes still shocked him. "I love you Aurora. Last night was possibly one of the best things to happen to me and it happened because I'm irreversibly attracted to everything about you." He shrugged and kissed her lightly. "I don't mean for it to come off as a relationship based on sex, you know that. The sex part of it…it's great. Damn is it great." Aurora smiled. "But my love for you is better…and if it means we stop the sex so you have no doubt in your mind that I'm in this for more than your body…then so be it."

He kissed her again and she was silent for a minute. When she spoke, her voice was faint and her nails scratched lightly at his chest.  
"We're not actually going to stop the sex are we?"

Rudy let out the breath he had been holding and felt the relief flood him. He laughed and held her tighter. "Only if it proves my love to you."

Aurora smiled bigger. "I like the way you proved it last night…triple O…" She settled back into his chest and closed her eyes. He leaned his head back and did the same. "No one is going to believe I had sex with Rodolphus Lestrange."

Rudy smirked and his chest swelled.

Rudy got out of the tub first, using his wand to dry himself and pulling his clothes back on quickly. He took his wand to the couch, trying to get the blood and fluid out of it and the blanket. The cleaning spell kept damaging the enchantments that they had already put upon it, though, so it took much longer than expected, and the couch was a bit different than before. It resembled a futon, but didn't flatten. It was clean, though, and perhaps more comfortable than before.

Aurora appreciated the time in the tub. The hot water felt good on all of her sore muscles, and she was still exhausted. Her body ached as though she had only quit banging her boyfriend five minutes ago.

When Rudy gently lifted her out of the tub, she was shocked to feel how cold the room had become. She shivered, and Rudy quickly threw the blanket over her.

"I know it's not a towel, but just use that for now. If you like, I can have Dizzy go and get you some clean clothes…"

"No," Aurora said, easing herself onto the newly-reformed couch. "Let's just sit here with cocoa and the wireless. It's freezing, Rudy—"

"Well, you're wet, but it's not much better when you're dry. I always try plugging up the cracks when it gets cold, here, but I can't ever find them all or plug every one… it gets a bit drafty.

Aurora, her teeth chattering, looked up at the wall. "Can I have my wand?"

Rudy rummaged around the room, found it, and handed it to his girlfriend, sitting down next to her and rubbing her arms, trying to get her warm.

She pointed it at the wall. "Reparo," she said. The wall appeared to seal itself against wind, and the room was strangely quiet without the noise of the air. She grinned up at Rudy.

"Clever," he said. "I never tried that before. It's not supposed to work for bigger objects."

Aurora shrugged. "Sometimes, you have to try anyway. We're not supposed to work, either."

"We definitely do, though." Rudy smiled at her. "Good advice for anyone." He kissed her on the forehead. "I'm going to go and get us something to eat, okay? You should get dressed. You'll be warmer."

He smiled at her, and slowly ushered himself out of the room.

Aurora smiled after him, and then turned to survey the attic. Their little home. Would they start taking meals in here, as well? It was so cold! She looked around the room, and saw a pile of boxes shoved into a fireplace.

There was no place else to put them, she mused, but then she looked back at the tub. It was formerly a bucket… how to change it back…

First, Aurora thought, I have to get rid of the water. She stuck her wand into the tub and began siphoning it away.

* * *

Rudy almost danced down the staircase. He had _done it_. He had fucked a woman. He'd fucked AURORA, his love, his best friend, his beautiful woman… and even though it had been her first time, she had LIKED it, and even though it had been his first time, he had PULLED it OFF… and she was so good. Oh so good.

He elbowed his way into the Slytherin table, holding his plate up to the serving dishes without sitting down.

"Oi, Lestrange—how'd it go—"

"Directly as planned," Rudy said, smug.

A small cheer went up from his section of the table. "How was it? How is she?"

"Like I'd share that kind of private information with you, Bletchly… but I will say, what you guys saw at the bar is _nothing_." Rudy smirked at them all before he went back to filling the plates.

"I knew it—I knew she was a real sexy bitch underneath all of that—" Jacob Bletchly made an hourglass shape in the air with his hands.

"You didn't either," Rudy countered, "and now you do you'll keep your nasty fantasies away from my girlfriend, Bletchly, as well as your foul mouth."

"Ah, shut up—"

"I'm serious," Rudy said, grabbing Bletchly's sleeve and glaring at him menacingly.

"Okay! Okay—back off—" Jacob held his hands in the air.

"And that goes for the rest of you horny bastards, too."

"Ah, who needs her—the girl is full of feisty French women…" Selwyn made a rude gesture to go along with his terrible French accent, and the entire table laughed.

"Rudy, you will be so upset."

Rudy froze, and turned to see Antoinette, her eyes swimming with tears. The table quieted instantly and watched with rapt attention.

"What happened?" Rudy asked hesitantly, plate in one hand, serving spoon in the other.

"My time 'ere is being cut short too soon—Maman misses me too much—"

"That's terrible, Antoinette. I'm sorry." Rudy hoped it would be enough.

"Do say you will come to our Christmas party, Rudy! I shall be desolate without you there."

"I have to be here, actually," Rudy said gently. "Yule Ball. I'd go if I could, though."

"Oh! You are too sweet, Rudy." She flew at him, buried herself against his chest. "I shall miss you so badly…"

"Ah—you'll be okay." Atoinette didn't move. "Antoinette? I have to go, now—" Rudy turned back towards the table in hopes of dislodging Antoinette from around his middle, but she resolutely held on, inserting herself onto the crowded bench, staring coyly up at him as he loomed over her. Her hand brushed the back of his leg.

Rudy jumped backwards.

Thankfully Dumbledore chose that moment to approach the table. "Miss Fortfleuve, your coach has arrived. If you will follow me please?"

Antoinette burst into tears and kissed Rudy on both cheeks, blowing kisses to him as she walked away. Rudy waved awkwardly at her as the entire table snickered.

"That girl is INSANE—" Rudy said, and went back to filling his plate.

"Ah, Rudy—you don't Love the Force of Fortfleuve?"

Laughter burst out. Rudy pulled a face. "Thank god something better than THAT is waiting for me. I will see you all—"Rudy pointed around the table, the plate heaped with food—"later on."

Snagging a flagon of pumpkin juice, he rose to go back up to the library.

Greg Nott stood up immediately, and jerked his head towards the door. Rudy nodded, shouted goodbye to the other boys at the table, and walked off with Gregg.

"So?" Greg asked quietly, as they walked.

"So what?"

"So, that's the end of the conquest, right? We're coming to our senses again?" He didn't look at Rudy.

"Damnit Greg—fuck you. Leave me alone."

Nott stepped in front of Rudy and stopped his progress down the hallway. "You either cut this shit out, or you talk to your parents."

"What the fuck is that going to do?"

"Maybe they'll talk some sense into your head!"

Rudy shoved past him. "Like it matters who I'm with anyway."

"You know it matters," Greg said, keeping pace.

Rudy stopped this time. "You going to tell?"

"Of course not," Greg said.

"Then shut up about it." Rudy and Greg stared at each other. Rudy hissed at the door to the Slytherin common room, and they walked in together, silently agreeing that the discussion was at an end.

Rudy stepped into the dormitory, grabbing some clothes out of his wardrobe before he disappeared again.

"Rudy," Greg called.

Rudy looked up to see Greg fling something at him.

Rudy caught it and looked. He threw the condom back at Greg, who was snickering. "Nick AND you—everyone's a smartass—"

"Nick gave you one too?" Greg held onto the bedpost with laughter. "What, did he leave it out with the whiskey? Did his parents leave you a few in the kitchen?"

Rudy flicked him off, rolling his eyes. He slung his bag over his shoulder and left the dormitory.

* * *

When he made it upstairs, Aurora was in her pajamas and robe, her hair pulled back and curled out of habit, the blonde flashing in the firelight. She had a book propped on her lap, and a cup of cocoa floating next to her. She tilted the book slightly forward to smile at Rudy as he came in.

"There you are."

Rudy glanced around the room. "The fireplace! You cleaned out the fireplace!"

Aurora grinned. "It's okay? I'm not messing up your space?"

"It's perfect," Rudy said, setting down the plate and pecking her on the cheek.

She'd draped the clean silk over several boxes, so that the room almost had a civil feel to it; couch, table, fireplace opposite it; Rudy's desk and chair to one side. The windows were clean, and the absence of dust really made a fantastic difference. The wood gleamed a bright reddish gold, and the fire was warm and welcoming.

A plate, utensils, a napkin fell out of thin air with a flick of Rudy's wand, all caught deftly by his expectant hand. He passed them to her, and served half the food onto her plate.

"I bring good news," he said, as he poured her some pumpkin juice.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Antoinette Fortfleuve is gone. France misses her too much to do without, so she's going back to Beauxbatons."

"Good riddance," Aurora spat, digging into the food with a vengeance. "She didn't kiss you goodbye, did she?"

Rudy glanced sideways at Aurora. "Only on the cheek," he admitted. He shouldn't have brought Antoinette up at all.

"Did you slap her?'

"Worse," Rudy said, knowing he had to scramble for the best answer. "I set Dumbledore on her."

"Good!" Aurora exclaimed. "What'd he do?"

"Escorted her out of the hall," Rudy replied. "The guys tried to tease me about her again, but I informed them that I had something entirely better waiting for me."

"Oh? What was that?"

"Dust and a bunch of boxes."

Aurora elbowed him, but she was smiling. "I might wait FOR you, on occasion, but I don't wait ON you. Don't you forget it, Lestrange."

Rudy brushed a hand over her knee.

"Hey!"

Rudy gave her an innocent look at shoveled another forkful of food into his mouth.

* * *

Aurora hid herself behind her book for the entire rest of the day. Exams started the following morning and she was the least prepared that she'd ever been. All she could think about was Rudy. It seemed every free moment she had, she spent with him. They could hardly keep their hands to themselves and even when submerged in books, Rudy's hand would casually rest on Aurora's calf, or her foot would stroke his leg nonchalantly. The attic had started to warm under the steady crackle of the fire and it wasn't until Aurora had thoroughly rescanned the entire of her astronomy book that she looked up with a sigh and glanced at Rudy and then at the window.

"RUDY!" She squealed, pointing outside. "It's SNOWING!"

Rudy looked up from his own book and smiled at the light snowflakes dancing around their window. Aurora was up in a flash, groaned for a second as the pain stopped her from moving any faster, and limped with a hand on her lower abdomen to the window. Rudy frowned and stood to follow her, more concerned about her than his book. He wrapped his arms around her gently and stood behind her, looking over her shoulder at the snow outside. Her breath on the window lightly fogged it and he smiled to himself. He loved how she excited over the smallest, most simple things most people would take for granted. It was like fresh poetry to him.

"Ever notice one specific snowflake and watch it fall all the way down?" Rudy asked quietly, Aurora holding his hands in her own. "And you don't know why that one catches your eye, but for whatever reason you can't tear your gaze away…"

"Mmmm, and it's completely original. Not a single other one like it…" Aurora agreed softly.

"Like you."

Aurora turned her head and rested it back on his shoulder, smiling up at him and he felt that crazy warm feeling all over again. He kissed her gently, and ran his hands over her stomach, scratching lightly.

"Let's go outside," Aurora mumbled into his lips.

"Can you make it?"

Aurora laughed in good humor and nodded, pulling away from him and taking his hand to lead him to their clothes. "I can manage. Going through another book right now might be the death of me."

She pulled on her white ski-jacket that she had worn for years on end and grabbed a scarf that she wrapped twice around her neck. Digging in her bag she found a pair of matching mittens she had knitted just the year before. Rudy smirked at her, a charmed black leather jacket pulled over his gorgeous torso and leather gloves hanging out of the pocket.

"What?" Aurora grinned, stepping into her boots.

"Nothing," Rudy watched her pull the white boots up to her knee and was surprised how cute she looked in her knitted blue scarf and snow white boots. Then again, he figured she'd look good in anything…how had he never noticed her before this year?

Aurora stood up with some difficulty and eyed Rudy appreciatively.

"I like that leather on you," She said, further swelling Rudy's chest. "You wear it well."

"I'm sure you'd wear leather just as well," Rudy teased, taking her hand in his own and heading out of the library with her. They still had an hour before Hogwarts sealed the doors.

Aurora shook her head and swung their hands lightly. She really did like how tall he was.

"Maybe for your birthday."

Rudy laughed loudly and swung the door open for them. They emerged into the gray evening and Aurora's face immediately turned up to gaze at the sky. This time she was not scanning for stars, though. She was half-heartedly trying to catch the snow on her tongue. Rudy lead her further out, the ground just lightly powdered with the first fall and the air crisp with a slight breeze. It smelled fresh and clean and he was glad she had put her book down to drag him out into it. When they got to the vegetable garden, he remarked on the straw that covered the dug up plants and Aurora kicked playfully at the powdery snow. It was beautiful out. She bent down and scooped up a handful, trickling it over Rudy's smooth brown hair. He ducked out of the way and laughed.

"It's snowing!" Aurora giggled and he rolled his eyes.

"I noticed, thanks." Scooping up his own handful he eyed her slyly. "Here, let me show you."

"NO!" Aurora took off running, but she hurt too much to run too far and Rudy was naturally faster anyway. He grabbed her around the waist and crushed the snow into her hair. She squealed as the cold dripped down her neck and into the folds of her scarf. Her knees buckled and she took Rudy down with her into the lightly covered grass and he grunted as they hit the ground.

"You okay?" He asked Aurora who also had grunted under his weight but was laughing at their clumsiness too.

"F-fine," She sputtered, clinging to his jacket. "You jackass."

Rudy grinned and grabbed more snow, sprinkling it over her red face. "What was that starshine?"

"AH! Rudy! Stop!"

"What? I can't hear you over this blizzard!" He ran out of snow and laughed at the melted snow on her cheeks and nose. She looked up at him angrily, but he thought it was adorable.

"Blizzard," Aurora huffed, licking her lips of the snow and blinking the snowflakes away. "You're such a bully. Pick on someone your own size."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too." Aurora's hand flew up faster than he thought possible and smothered his face in fresh snow. He yelled in surprise and sat up off of her, wiping at his eyes and laughing loudly. "You're getting it now Sinistra"

Aurora was curled into a ball she was laughing so hard and Rudy scooped her up into his arms and started towards the not yet frozen, but very cold, lake.

"How 'bout a dip?"

"NO!" Aurora screamed, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder. He loved when she clung to him. "RUDY DON'T YOU DARE!"

"Sorry! Do what? All that snow in my eyes clouded my vision…"

"RUDY! PLEASE, NO!"

"What?" He got closer and Aurora held tighter, squirming in his arms. He chuckled low in his throat.

"I WILL NEVER SLEEP WITH YOU AGAIN!"

"HA!" Rudy bellowed, stepping towards the water and jerking slightly, just to freak her out. She screamed and he laughed harder. "You'll sleep with me or I'm dropping you in!"

"RAPE!" Aurora tried yelling, but she was laughing too hard to yell it loud.

Rudy shook his head and started away from the lake again, still carrying his girlfriend who had stopped squirming now that she was away from the threat of water. He set her down a few yards away and grinned triumphantly at her.

Aurora punched his shoulder playfully, but her grin was permanent.

"It's kind of sad," She said, glancing towards the pitch. "No more quidditch now."

"Yeah," Rudy stared at it equally upset that they were out until spring cleared of the snow and the goal posts were put back up. "We'll just have to find other ways to amuse ourselves during the cold, dark nights."

Aurora glanced sideways at him and he winked in her direction. She snickered and pulled her scarf tighter. "I suppose we should go study some more."

"Is that what they call it?"

"Rudy!" Aurora laughed in disbelief, following him back towards the castle. "Is that all you can think about?"

"Not my fault you made it so good."

"Better than making it so bad, I suppose."

Rudy nodded and waited for her to catch up to his long strides. He could tell she was biting back the grunts of discomfort. "I don't think you can do bad…still hurting?"

Aurora sighed and nodded vaguely. "I'm fine, it was worth it. Keep going."

Rudy frowned. "You sure?"

"I don't want to be carried like a cripple, Rudy," Aurora smiled. "…but…"

Rudy watched her in confusion as she went behind him and pulled his shoulders down.

"What are you doing?"

"Bend down," Aurora ordered.

"Aurora, I don't think this position is physically possible…" Rudy snickered and received another punch to the arm.

"Just do it," Aurora rolled her eyes and he obeyed. She jumped onto his back and wrapped her legs around his waist, inhaling sharply at the moment of pain. "Okay. Continue on."

Rudy laughed again and held onto her legs, and she planted a kiss on his cheek as she piggy-backed through the snow and talked quietly into Rudy's ear.

Once in the castle Rudy put Aurora back on her own two feet and they walked hand in hand back through the halls, laughing quietly together and shaking off the snow. When they hit the moving staircase, Rudy pulled Aurora to him and kissed her deeply. He couldn't help it. The snow had put him in such a good mood and Aurora was beaming like she did when he had first kissed her. The mood was contagious and she leaned into him, clinging to his jacket and wrapping a leg around him. He snogged her right there on the moving staircase in good humor and she giggled softly against him.

He paused and opened his eyes slightly, leaning his forehead against hers and looking into her bright eyes. "Oh hey…" He said gruffly, his voice low and playful. Aurora grinned and kissed him again.

"Hey, you."

They stared into each others eyes for a few quiet moments, holding each other tightly, Rudy leaning against the railing, and each infinitely warmer for the snog that had just ensued. Rudy's thumb caressed Aurora's soft cheek and he smiled down at her, his heart swelling with affection for his little starshine, his beautiful girlfriend, his pillar of joy wrapped in his arms.

"Love you."

Her smiled matched his. "Love you." Aurora's voice was barely above a whisper and she closed the distance between them as the stairs gave a final lurch and stopped moving. She didn't care. She took another long, deep kiss from him and would've continued to snog him had a familiar voice not stopped her.

"Get a room!"

Aurora laughed and pulled away from Rudy as Cissy came waltzing down the stairs to meet them.

"Sheesh," She rolled her eyes playfully at the two. "Too much information, thank you."

"Where are you coming from?" Aurora asked, untangling herself from Rudy's arms.

"Library. I was _studying_," She made the quotation fingers around "studying" and Aurora snickered. "One of the Durmstrangs finally got his act together and asked me to the Yule Ball."

"Congratulations! So things are looking up?" Aurora smiled fondly at her friend. Rudy rested his hand on her ass from behind and she shot him a look over her shoulder.

"Especially for him," Cissy giggled, quite proud of herself. It was then she paused and glanced between Rudy and Aurora and back to Aurora a second time, her eyes narrowing. "Aurora Sinistra, you did NOT!"

Aurora blushed and would've pretended she didn't know what Cissy was talking about, but she had a feeling she knew exactly what was on the blonde Slytherin's mind. Rudy apparently caught on too and kissed Aurora's cheek.

"I'll be waiting for you," He said quietly and strutted away from the two women. Cissy watched him leave with such an air of arrogance she nodded to herself as if this confirmed her suspicion.

"Aurora!" She squealed, grabbing Aurora's hands and nearly bouncing in place.

"What?" Aurora feigned innocence, but couldn't bring herself to look at Cissy. The blush was distinct in her cheeks.

"How _was_ it?" Cissy pressed. "How was HE? Oh I bet he's amazing in the sack, isn't he? Fantasy of every girl here…"

"Cissy!" Aurora laughed, but she couldn't bring herself to deny it either. He was amazing.

"Well!" Cissy laughed right along, squeezing Aurora's hands. "You did it, didn't you! You shagged him!"

"You have no proof…"

"Are you kidding? He just strutted and _look_ at you! You're RED as a rose, Aurora and the way you're standing…" She inhaled sharply. "I bet he's huge isn't he? You poor thing—you'll hurt for a few days…"

"CISSY!" Aurora pulled her hands away and covered her face with them. This was too much to hear from a best friend. Shagging Rudy was one thing. The experience was theirs alone. But to go into details with Cissy was entirely different. She thought her face would explode with embarrassment, but that didn't deter Cissy at all. She was almost as excited as Aurora had been the night it had happened!

"Come ON Aurora, you have to at least say you did it. Be PROUD of it! You shagged Rodolphus Lestrange for Circe sakes!"

"So what if I did?" Aurora's voice was muffled behind her hands. "People shag all the time."

"But not with Rudy!" Cissy did a little victory dance and positively beamed in her moment of triumph. "I knew it! I KNEW it! You little fox!"

"Cissy—"

She gasped again. "What position did you do? He knew you were a virgin right? Nothing too difficult—"

"_Cissy—_"

"Oh you horny minx, I bet that's all you can think about isn't it? Gods I don't blame you. I remember my first time—"

"CISSY!" Aurora exclaimed, grabbing the shoulders of her friend. Cissy looked at her with a huge grin.

"…amazing, isn't it?"

Aurora stared at her a moment, and then with a small grin herself nodded silently. Cissy squealed once more and embraced Aurora like she had just become Headmistress at Hogwarts. It took forever for her to finally get rid of the Slytherin princess; the questions were never-ending and she avoided answering most of them. Aurora didn't want the world to know how good it was to shag Rudy. It was HER boyfriend. HER Rudy. And she had no intention of highlighting all the fantasies at Hogwarts. After making Cissy swear not to spread it, Aurora slipped away and meandered up to the library attic. Rudy was back to studying again, stripped down to his boxers and a sweater and curled up under the blanket on the couch. The book was in his lap and the fire had a few logs added to it. He looked up when Aurora came in and the smug grin was plastered. Aurora rolled her eyes and started removing her winter gear.

"I hope you did me justice," He said after a moment and Aurora shook her head.

"I said as little as possible."

"Ashamed?"

"No," She looked at him over her shoulder. "You're mine and the girls have enough to fantasize without me removing your clothes for them."

Rudy smirked and flipped a page of his book. "That so?"

Aurora nodded and kicked off both boots and hung her jacket to dry over one of the boxes. "How embarrassing…"

Rudy chuckled. "You virgin."

"Not anymore." Aurora corrected. "And don't mock me—you were one too!"

"At least I contained any blush when the boys asked me about it."

Aurora gaped at him. "They knew? How?"

Rudy shrugged. "Don't worry, they were impressed."

Aurora felt the blush return. "Bloody hell Rudy, are we going to advertise this to the entire school…?"

"I wanted to make sure they understood whom you belonged to," He said. "They're jealous as hell, but they'll keep their paws off at least."

Aurora couldn't help it and grinned at him. "And who do I belong to, Mister Lestrange?"

She sauntered over to him and replaced the book with herself in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Rudy grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Me." His voice was deep, commanding, and possessive. It made her burn.

"And who do you belong to?" She whispered, brushing her lips against his.

"You…"

He craned his neck to kiss her fully and felt her breath become heavier and her body warm at his touch. Breaking away soon thereafter, Aurora stood and ran a hand over her face.

"You need to stop being so damn sexy," She breathed and went to grab her bag, fishing for more books to study from, hoping this took her mind off Rudy and what she could feel when sitting on his lap snogging him.

Rudy chuckled again, picking up his book like nothing had happened, and looking right smug about her ruffled state. "What's so sexy about me, Sinistra? What really turns you on?"

"Not now, Rudy," Aurora said tersely, grabbing three large books and digging for her quill.

"Just asking…you know I'm obsessed with your legs…and now that I've had the pleasure of exploring the rest of you, you have a nice rack on you too."

"Shut up," Aurora threw a small ball of yarn over her shoulder at him. He caught it easily and threw it back at her.

"Seriously, what is it? The hair? The body? The voice?"

Aurora stuck her quill between her teeth and used her free hand to find the ink jar. She shook her head defiantly, worried she'd become too turned on again.

Rudy waited patiently until she had everything and sat opposite him on the couch. He shared some of the blanket and once she was situated and unable to avoid his questioning he pressed again. "Well?"

Aurora rolled her eyes once more behind her book and said with a forced nonchalance, "Your body is flawless, yes…I like your arms and…" She trailed off as she underlined something of importance in her book. "Your forcefulness and arrogant side are a turn on…but I love it when you're sweet immediately after. Your smile could melt icebergs…"

She trailed off again, lost to the depths of her book, and Rudy watched her a moment longer with a satisfied smile. "Plus, I'm the size of London. Or so I'm told."

Aurora didn't answer, but nodded her head in blatant appreciation of that fact. Rudy nodded smugly to himself and went back to his book. Aurora peeked up from behind her own book and smiled to herself. His ego had just inflated to the size of London too, she thought.

* * *

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	25. Pertaining to Lust

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 25

* * *

Aurora was up nearly all night cramming. She could not believe how unprepared she was for these tests! Rudy poked fun at her, saying she already knew every book forward and backwards like the back of her hand, but she insisted she was nowhere near ready to take the finals. He retired much earlier than she did, but she made him take off his sweater first; the fabric itched her legs when he lay down. So he did and hoisted the blanket over his shoulder, resting his head in her lap and wrapping an arm around her legs. He was asleep within minutes. Aurora propped her book on the armrest of their couch and her other hand absently ran through Rudy's hair, the head-massage being what put him to sleep so quickly. She ran her nails in smooth lines around his scalp and around his ear and studied until the fire had died and she realized she was pushing only three hours of sleep. Setting her book aside she looked down at Rudy and couldn't stop from smiling. He was the epitome of perfection. The curves of muscle, the chiseled face and smooth hair…his soft complexion when sleeping, which would be replaced with the often menacing and serious look he wore when strutting the school…he was such a badass, Aurora thought. But to her, he was her sweetheart. Her affection was practically oozing. She was such a sucker for him.

Carefully Aurora removed his head from her lap and stood up to stretch, the room being warmer than usual and smelling strong of firewood. She was quick to shed her pants in place of pajama shorts and a tank and she crawled in under the blanket next to Rudy. She had just gotten settled when his voice startled her.

"Shirt," He said sleepily, his eyes still shut.

"What?" Aurora asked quietly, not sure if he was actually awake.

"You made me take mine off. Now you return the favor."

Aurora stared at him in disbelief then laughed softly. "Rudy! I'll get cold."

"I'll hold you."

He had not moved, nor opened his eyes, but a small smile revealed itself and Aurora had no choice but to obey. She pulled the tank off and gently pressed herself into Rudy, soft breasts rubbing against his firm chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled the blanket over her shoulders, kissing her forehead and resting his hands on the smooth curve of her back. He fell asleep almost immediately again, but Aurora stayed awake for a few minutes longer, listening to his breath and reveling in the feel of his chest rising and falling against hers. He was so strong, and she felt a shiver as she realized just how intimate they had become. Never in her wildest dreams would she have dreamt of a moment like this with Rodolphus Lestrange. Carefully she wrapped her leg around his, so she could keep herself pressed up against him and she peppered his shoulder with a few soft kisses. He was hers; she was his. And for a second, Aurora almost forgot about exams entirely as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

"Will you calm down!" Rudy took Aurora by the shoulders and shook her slightly. "I know you. You've studied more than I have, and you're a good deal smarter than I am. You are going to be FINE. Besides, this is the written half of the astronomy exam. You will pass with flying colors." He looked into her eyes, and she softened slightly. "We good? No panic?"

"No panic," she said, and sat down again on the couch. She'd been fretting for the past hour, talking almost nonstop about how awful her last exam had felt, and how she was destined to do poorly on the next one. She gave him a sheepish smile.

Rudy couldn't resist it. He tilted her chin up and looked into those bottomless eyes of hers, those eyes that drank every ounce of him in as they stared, and he kissed her gently.

Aurora rested her head against his scratchy sweater, and wrinkled her nose. "You know… I liked the leather better."

Rudy raised an eyebrow and looked down. "Kinky."

Aurora just grinned and allowed herself to be held for a moment.

"You know, I have a January birthday," Rudy said with a sly smile.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"If you are planning on wearing leather, I just thought you might like some time to get used to the idea, is all." He grinned. "Virgin."

Aurora swatted his ass.

"Okay. I'm going to go. I like to sit in the room for a bit before the test starts. Kiss me?"

"Not before your test. I want you to be able to focus."

"Oh, for Circe's sake, you are an arrogant ass, aren't you…" Aurora disengaged herself from Rudy and began to load her book-bag.

"I call it considerate," Rudy laughed out loud and fell back into the couch.

"You have lost your mind. What have you been studying?"

"Transfiguration."

"I have no idea why your brain is fried. You're always immune to transfiguration." She stood up, her bag slung over her shoulder. "Last chance…"

Rudy stood up and brushed some hair out of Aurora's face, leaned forward as if to kiss her… and suddenly wrapped his arms around her wildly and slung her down into a deep dip and a short—though very distracting—kiss.

He lifted her back up smoothly, pecked her searching lips once. "Exam. Go."

Aurora nodded, and then leaned back towards his ear. "Don't forget me while I'm gone."

It was an effort for Rudy not to grab her wrist as she walked out of the room.

* * *

Aurora stared at the parchment laid before her. It was a long, long scroll of astronomy related questions laid out neatly in straight columns. Aurora's ink was full and her quill quivered slightly in her hand as she worked carefully on the answers, her nose bent over the work breathing the fresh page as if willing the answers to enter through the grainy smell. But her mind was anywhere but on her exam. She kept touching her lips with a finger absently, or running one of her shoes up the back of her other leg. Rudy's smirk kept appearing between the margins and few times she swore she could smell him. Of course that was perfectly reasonable—she had only been living and sleeping with him the past few months. But this infatuation, this obsession, this constant longing for him was costing her precious time.

"The apparent brightness of an object such as a star does not depend on A. How fast the star is moving across our line of sight… B. The strength of the light emanating from the star… C. The distance from us to the star… D. The amount and kind of obstacles between us and the star…"

Aurora snickered and in her mind added _E. The size of the star._ Her body trembled just thinking about Rudy's star…his speed, his strength, the distance of their bodies…the few objects between them…and his size. Circe he _was_ the size of London. Aurora squirmed_. STOP IT_, she ordered herself, _stop turning yourself on in the middle of your exam!_ She answered it and moved past that question and onto the next few, struggling to ignore thoughts of him.

"Evidence for the interstellar medium is that…A. Distant stars are reddened…B. Distant stars have large Doppler shafts…C. Most apparently bright stars are relatively far from us…D. Over a long period of time, stars slow down due to friction…"

Rudy's shaft…Aurora clenched her quill tighter and ran a slender finger up and down the curve of it…gods she was losing her mind. Why was everything suddenly a sexual innuendo to her? Rudy's star had surpassed red to purple, Aurora reflected as she remembered holding him, stroking him, hearing his short quick gasps and marveling at the feel so alien to her…more squirming ensued as she circled her answer. The sooner this exam ended the better. Though she feared if she ran into Rudy she'd shag him before letting him take any further exams. She was craving him and it was the most distracting thing on earth.

"The contraction of a star as it reaches the main sequence is halted by…A. An explosion at the center of the star…B. The rigid structure of the electrons in the center of the star…C. The onset of nuclear reactions in the center of the star…D. The heating of the outer layers of the star…"

Aurora's head hit the desk as she thought about a whole different sequence of contractions…those that lead to a very erotic explosion in both her and Rudy…CIRCE! "Reactions in the center," "heating of outer layers," and "rigid structure." Aurora's brain was permanently engrained in the gutter. Instead she saw, "three orgasms," and "Rudy's tongue and fingers," and "dick." She felt dirty. Circling the answer with a quiet groan Aurora glanced at the clock. This was proving to be her hardest exam ever, even though she knew every answer.

Aurora nearly pushed her way out of the classroom, ahead of the other students. She had finished her exam with time to spare, but it had still taken her longer with the thoughts of Rudy causing her to pause and breathe every few minutes. She needed Rudy more than she could fathom and it was almost unbearable as she had to wait for the stairs to move, other students crowding her and talking about the most unimportant things. Once again she found herself squirming and pushing her way through all the way to the library. Up to the attic, flinging herself through the door, Aurora paused to breathe and glance around their room…no Rudy. Of course .He had exams too.

Aurora swore and glanced at the clock on Rudy's desk. He still had at least an hour…Aurora paced, dropping her bag in a corner and chewing her nails. What was she supposed to do? She had never been so pent full of hyper sexual energy and she had NO idea how to rid of it without exerting it on Rudy…maybe a jog outside? Aurora glanced out the window and frowned at the snow still coming down. It had accumulated quite a bit from last night and running in boots wouldn't cut it. Aurora picked up her wand and started casting random cleaning spells around the room. There really wasn't anything to clean, but it distracted her for a few minutes. She rearranged some more of the boxes, lit just the smallest of fires, and adjusted the make-shift-couch so it allowed for more room when laying on it. Rudy was a big guy and while Aurora loved cuddling up next to him, with the fire going at nights, it got warm.

Unable to find anything to do in the attic, Aurora decided to go grab more of her belongings from the dorm rooms since no one would be up there now anyway. So that she did, packing up another bag full of folded clothes and a few other items. It was pointless, she figured, with winter break fast approaching at the end of the week. She'd just end up bringing all her stuff back here to pack her trunk…her heart sank as she thought of leaving Rudy. Aurora had no desire to spend her winter break in Jordan with her parents. It would be a lot of sand, a lot of hot, and a lot of horses. And while she loved the latter two, she loved Rudy more. At least if she was in France, she'd have stuff to do. Jordan wasn't exactly the most interesting place in the world. Especially when you'd been around that area before. With a full bag and an unsatisfied lust, Aurora meandered the halls with a lost purpose. Why of all days did she have to pick exam day to have uncontrollable hormones? And why did he have to be taking his exam when she needed to snog him?

She turned the corner when her shoulder collided with Bella who had been coming from the other way. Aurora stumbled and quickly apologized. But Bella, who seemed surprised and lost for words, just stared at her silently before sticking her nose back up in the air and marching past. She was sure to hit Aurora's shoulder purposefully as she did, and Aurora glared after her.

"Excuse you!" She yelled after the Slytherin.

"Squibshit," Bella sneered, disappearing down the stairs.

Aurora shook her head, readjusted her bag, and continued on while rubbing her arm. It wasn't a matter of importance anyway. Aurora got back to the attic room and slumped onto the couch. Rudy still had thirty minutes minimum…assuming he finished early. Aurora sighed and blew some hair from her face. What else could she possibly do? Grabbing a towel from her clean pile of clothes, she decided a cold shower was in order if she was to be at all productive. She made sure to run the water ice cold as she stood under it, until she was thoroughly shivering.

"You're ridiculous, Aurora," She muttered to herself, scrubbing her hair and body clean under the brisk water and feeling utterly ashamed of herself. "He's just a boy."

It was such a lie and she knew it. Rudy was the hottest piece of man-steak she had ever laid eyes on. Which might not have been saying much, since she had never laid eyes on a man like she had him…but she knew it was indisputable among the females of Hogwarts, that if they had to choose one guy to top the hot charts, it would be Rudy. Sirius Black was up there, but he lacked the brute strength that Rudy had; the muscle and chiseled body. James Potter was cute, and Lucious was handsome…but none had the entire package. Rudy had the physique, the arrogance, the strut, the smile, the smarts, and the charm. Aurora traced his body in her mind as she dried herself and pondered the source of that scar she had noticed. At the time it seemed unimportant with what was going on…but now she was curious.

Back in the attic, Aurora found herself pacing once again. She had changed and was in the process of drying her hair, and then curling it, and then crimping it, and then straightening it again unable to settle on one style. Eventually her hair set in soft crimped waves and her face ended up plastered against the window as she pondered what to do with her spare time. She figured studying for tomorrow's test was probably smart but now she was just tired. Without Rudy to alleviate her lust on, it was taking all her energy just to contain it. So she grabbed a loose pillow and sprawled on the couch, watching the door until she drifted off in anticipation of Rudy's return.

* * *

With effort, Rudy pulled himself out of his desk and handed his paper to Professor Dumbledore, who smiled and sealed the parchment with a bright "Thank you!" Rudy was so distracted he actually shouted "You're welcome," forgetting his dislike of Dumbledore, and was out the door.

"Rodolphus?"

Rudy stopped and turned.

"Your quill?" Rudy swiped it from his hand and turned away again. "And you've also forgotten your coat," Dumbledore called.

Rudy rolled his eyes, dashed back into the testing room, swiped it off the back of his chair, and was off again.

Momentarily he stopped in front of a suit of armor. "Oy, stand up!" The suit jostled itself to attention, standing taller than even Rudy did, and Rudy checked his hair and his face in the enormous breastplate. He glanced down at his jacket, and then threw that over his shoulders as well. She liked leather, didn't she? Was it the feel or the smell? Or just the look of it? He would have to ask her. There was so much to ask her! What did she want for Christmas? When was her birthday? Favorite color? Favorite food? What was it about the museum in Alexandria that she liked so much? Maybe Rudy could get her a painting from there…

He reached up absently to rub his ear again. Did she always have to be whispering in his ear? All throughout the exam he could swear he felt her breath there… over and over… "Don't forget me, Rudy…"

A machine had taken his exam. Rudy would breeze through three or four questions, and then he would be derailed; he could feel Aurora's hand on his neck or her breath in his ear, the feel of her pert breasts against his chest, the weight and tightness and heat of her…

Immediately he would turn his mind back to the test, and like a machine there would be another five flawless answers written out on his paper. Occasionally he would pause at one, or reword a sentence… but Dumbledore's class was always so simple. Rudy had taken this test already, during summer. Over and over and over until it was all flawless in his head, he had recited and explained and reworded everything. _More tests over break_, he would think. _No Aurora over break._ Aurora with her long, beautiful legs and her breath in his ear… _Answer the question before you embarrass yourself! Calm your ass DOWN, Rudy…you have to focus! If you don't focus, you'll be careless, and you know what careless lands you with…_

Now, though, with his hair flicked to one side and his jacket over his shoulders, now with the peppermint humbug in his mouth, now he didn't have to calm down. He needed to hurry. Hurry up the stairs, hurry around the first years, hurry up the corridor to hidden door by the top floor of the library… hurry up the passage to the attic, where Aurora was waiting, Aurora and her breath and her hands, Aurora and her legs and the soft patch of heaven between them, Aurora and her heaving breasts, Aurora and her eyes…

This is the life, he thought. To come home to a girl you are excited to see, to come home to a place you are glad to inhabit, to come home away from the world of obligation and worry to simply be happy.

He'd been thinking about it earlier, too, after Aurora had left the room and he sat down on the couch and stared at the fire. He had never dreamed he would be so lucky. Never dreamed he would lose his virginity in this space, never dreamed that the woman he loved would have found a way to clear out the fireplace and get it lit in the winter. Never dreamed that someone with eyes like Aurora's eyes would stare at him and make him feel so naked and so loved all at once.

Of course, he had stared into other eyes. He had wielded his charm well, and he had kissed other girls and been kissed by them. Aurora was not one of those girls, they that always lost their novelty, that were made of only kisses and hormones. Aurora was singular. There was no other woman like her.

Usually this led to thoughts of the way he was paraded about like a dog or a horse at parties over break; about how he would be expected to marry a poodle, and get her pregnant. Of the way she would sob when she found out it was all his fault she did not bear, all his fault that she would never have a child by her husband, all his fault that she would have to find some secret seed from elsewhere to uphold her honor. All his fault she could never tell anyone about any of it.

His sterility was a secret, had been since his family had found out. He had been presented to Circe on the same day. His father had still been so angry… _How can I bring this sackless, spineless shit before my goddess… for what does she punish me with this humiliation… _All boys, at the age of seven, had been through the same process. Their parents had each of the boys inspected for good health and proper breeding by the Official Praetor, keeper of genealogy and bloodlines. It was the day they were presented at church, be it before Merlin or Circe.

Little princes and princesses of pureblood society, flitting around the edges of their own presentation parties while their parents laughed and drank. Rudy's father had drunk himself stupid, had tried to blame Rudy for failing his potency test on purpose, had tried to teach him that he wasn't to humiliate his father that way, beat him across the back with a length of old broom handle until his son couldn't stand up anymore.

And one day, the empty-kiss of his wife would realize that Rudy had lied to her. That she wasn't barren—that she had been presented and been found whole—and still did not bear. She would hate him. She would hate every moment that she spent at the clinic, waiting on his father's or his brother's seed to take in her womb. She would hate him when she carried her fabricated child, she would hate him when it was born. And because she hated him, the child would hate him too.

Would the shame of it turn him into his father?

Rudy didn't get that far anymore. He focused on having Aurora rather than the eventual, inevitable loss of her. Aurora was a gift. He would graduate, and life would ensue as it was destined to him. But Aurora was now; he had her now, and he was so lucky to have her for minutes and days and weeks ahead of him.

He set his hand on the doorknob, every one of his senses pulsing with excitement and happiness and desire, and opened the door to find her. She would have finished with Astronomy long before he finished transfiguration… Dumbledore was such an ass about his essay questions, sometimes…

* * *

Aurora slept with one hand over her breast, a pillow between her legs. Through her sleep Rudy smiled at her; she could feel his scruff against his inner thigh, she could smell him and she was rocked out of her brain by the surge she felt as Rudy sucked so exquisitely on her. So maddening that it burned.

She wanted more, though, and nothing that her dream conjured was enough to satisfy her lust…

Rudy entered and saw her asleep, and then without warning saw her back arch, her face twist happily. "Rudy…" she mumbled his name. Rudy smirked proudly at her. Good. She had been thinking about him as she fell asleep. He dropped down on the couch near to her, rubbing his hands together to make sure they were warm. Gently he reached back, down into her pants, trying not to wake her…

Her eyes snapped open before his fingers reached their mark, her image of Rudy as he rubbed his scruff across her evaporating instantly. She was momentarily confused… and then she grinned devilishly at Rudy.

"What kept—"

Rudy pressed a hand over her mouth. "Not for talking. Just enjoying." This time, he pressed his hand into her, felt the arousal that already leaked from her.

She writhed under his touch.

Power and confidence and a brief spark of creativity flooded Rudy. He wanted to watch if Aurora faltered…

He withdrew his hands, tugged her immediately off the couch and over to his desk. He bent her slowly over it. A brief image of the moment when Aurora's knees would fail her gripped Rudy, of watching her hang off of the desk, or hang onto it as her pleasure exploded.

He undressed her with a few clever swipes of his hands and then nudged her legs apart. She had such a beautiful backside, such beautiful legs. He ran his hands over it, gave her a small spank, reveling in his own pleasure.

"Gods Rudy… do you know how long I have waited for this today? I want you, I want it, I want your tall, beautiful body to cover me…"

His fingers began working and her moan caught in her throat. "This is what you get right now."

"I want you to take me—"

"No."

"Oh gods…Rudy…"

Rudy grinned, his ego stroked immensely. It gave him full abandon to torment her, stopping just to hear her struggle to reach his touch and beg him. He loved it when she begged. Loved the power to say no; he reveled in the power his hands had as they did his talking for him.

"Yes?"

"You are—incredible—"

"I know."

Aurora gained her feet. Where had he learned _that?_ It was her only thought that broke through the litany of "Yes, Circe yes, more more more…" So much she could not have dreamed of the way it felt.

More. She had to have more than that. He had only touched her but she wasn't satisfied just yet. She laid herself gracefully over the desk again, having just gracelessly pulled herself up with it, and again presented herself to Rudy.

Rudy took full advantage of her presentation; took full advantage of her bent over body, and brought her the satisfaction she had been so desperately seeking. And when he had finished, exploding with hot passion and erotic desire, he collapsed over her. Her knees had given and she was barely able to hold onto the desk, so he held her and kissed her shoulder affectionately. Beautiful back, beautiful shoulder. Beautiful, beloved girl.

* * *

_Apologies for the long wait! Hope you enjoyed; please respond and let us know what you think! We'd love to hear from you after our long absence! All responses are posted on our profile. :)_


	26. Pillow Talk

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 26

* * *

Rudy moved Aurora to the comfort of the couch, kicking off the remainder of his clothes as he did. Aurora's lips were desperately taking from his own, and her body coursed with the sensual pleasure Rudy had just brought upon her. She found she didn't bleed at all this time, nor did it hurt as much, though the sensations still startled her. It all happened so fast in her mind; one minute she was dreaming it, and the next…

Aurora could feel him rubbing her leg affectionately as he laid her on the couch and set himself up against her, kissing her back fiercely. She was starving, craving him more and more. The more she got, the greedier she became. She liked how he handled her—demanding, but gentle. She loved the tender touch of his hand and the aggression of his lips moving from her lips to her neck where she let him play with her. He sucked and nipped and had her trembling for minutes on end with his roughness. Aurora wondered how on earth she was ever going to conceal the likes of that hickey, but she was in no mood to stop him. One of her hands fisted his hair tightly and the other ran her nails over the curve of his perfect buttocks.

"Rudy…" She whispered into his ear, and felt him tense with her hot breath. "Rudy you're _so hot_…"

Rudy's head jerked up from where he had indeed left a large portion of her neck red and raw. Was Aurora actually talking dirty to him? Was she purposefully trying to turn him on again? He searched those sly blue eyes and got his answer swiftly in the form of a smirk and the movement of her hand. Was she actually TOYING with him?

"What—"

He was cut off by a jerk of her hand in his hair, and she forced his head back, leaning up and running her tongue from his jaw up to his ear where she ran her teeth along the folds of soft skin.

"I can be good to you…" She whispered seductively and Rudy felt his body tense against her. "I want to taste you, Rudy… I want to…" Aurora sucked gently on the lobe of his ear and Rudy closed his eyes. Where had this vixen suddenly come from? He had never seen such a bold side before…yes he had, at the lunch table when her hand has so nonchalantly found its place in his lap. This was the vixen he had been waiting for…but did she know what to do?

Rudy found himself wondering anxiously as Aurora slid down his body and forced him to lean back against the armrest of the couch. Her nails scratched at his abdomen and she locked eyes with him. Rudy's uncertainty was quickly replaced by the pleasure this simple gesture brought, but Aurora was not going to stop there. Aurora liked the feeling of being in control, of watching HIM squirm for a change.

She was playing with him, testing him, getting her first taste of him and it was driving Rudy nuts. He wished she'd just get on with it. He didn't care how crude it sounded, he was just obeying the impulses of his body. He tugged at her hair, but Aurora chuckled quietly.

"I'm not done with you," she teased. Rudy tried biting back his moan, but it was almost impossible. He was thoroughly at the mercy of her hot lips. Rudy hissed between his teeth and jerked under her, fisting her hair. Aurora, however, didn't make a sound. She wanted to listen. She wanted to pleasure him, to make him moan and squirm and be her victim like she was his. Rudy's voice filled her ears as she built him up, and she gloried in the gruff voice and his violent rapid breaths as he finished. He was a god, and Aurora, no matter how much in control, was his slave. She licked her lips sensually as she looked up at him.

It took him a moment to catch his breath, but when he did, he stared at her with big, satisfied eyes and ordered quite simply, "Come here."

Aurora crawled back over him and laid herself gently on top of him, giving him a soft kiss and brushing the hair from his sweaty and red face. He gazed at her intensely, feeling a whole different emotion after that erotic display, and his hands rested purposefully on her ass.

"Was that what you were dreaming about?" He asked with a hoarse voice and Aurora smiled smugly.

"Maybe…was that your dream?"

"One of them," Rudy nodded slightly, curling his fingers into her skin. "How did you—"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Aurora cut him off with a light kiss. "You taste like a god."

Rudy eyed her full lips and was astounded at her. His Aurora, his quiet and usually shy little Aurora, was now calling him a god? Rudy feared his ego would explode at this rate, but he was still recovering from the amazement.

"And you, my vixen, are a goddess. A temptress and a minx…" He smiled slyly and she looked satisfied with his praises, her fingers tracing his face absently. "My devilishly talented little fox."

"I know how to take care of my man," Aurora grinned back at him. "…and I like to make him squirm."

Rudy chuckled and Aurora rested her head on his shoulder, burying her nose into his neck and closing her eyes. She loved every inch of her man. From the smell of him to the taste of him, he was perfection. She could not get over her obsession with him. Rudy was still breathing hard, his chest heaving as he tried to calm down. He stared up at the ceiling as Aurora rested against him, replaying the entire afternoon. The woman would never fail to turn him on and excite him. But what Rudy couldn't fathom even more, was how in love he was with her. She pleased him physically, gave him everything any man could desire as far as bodily pleasures went. But there was a spiritual intimacy that Rudy had never felt with someone before. Aurora rarely spoke of such things, but she didn't have to. He could see it when she looked at him. Every glance in his direction was laced with an undying love for him. It was why she was no longer a virgin, why she would go to all lengths to please him, why she could appreciate something as silly as the snow with him. It was why he could not imagine ever being with another woman. Another woman whom, after he told them that he was sterile, would take his head in her hands and say confidently, "Rudy, I love you." That's what Aurora had said. She loved him. Loved him flaws and all. He had few secrets from her and he felt alive…

"Rudy?"

Aurora's soft voice snapped him from his thoughts, and he looked down at her.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

He smiled and stroked her hair gently. "I love you too, my starshine. More than I can tell you sometimes."

Aurora craned her neck and smiled back up at him. "I don't want to study anymore. I just want to be with you."

"I think that can be arranged." He replied, pulling himself up on the couch a little more. Aurora sat up and stretched, and glanced around the room causally. Rudy couldn't help but let his eyes wander over her slender body. Circe she was beautiful.

"Does that wireless work at all?" Aurora asked, nodding to the small stereo.

Rudy nodded and grabbed his wand from the floor. With a slight flourish of his hand, quiet music came on and filled the attic with classical orchestra sounds. Aurora beamed.

"Perfect," She said, leaning back against Rudy. He wrapped his arms around her and they listened to it in contentment for a while before Rudy spoke again.

"What does it feel like, for you?"

Aurora laughed into his chest. "What?"

Rudy felt his cheeks redden just slightly, so he was grateful for the darkness filling the room. "Well you know, I've never really thought about it until we started getting intimate…and I just wonder how it feels for you."

Aurora chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Well…it's nothing you can really explain because it's so…sensual, and erotic, and intense all at once. It's like you're flying, and exploding, and on fire, and shivering, and screaming, and falling in love all at the same time. Not very poetic, I know…" She giggled quietly.

Rudy chuckled. "You forgot painful."

"Not so much today," Aurora said truthfully. "I'm learning to accommodate London."

They shared a laugh.

"…just in time for break, huh?"

Rudy's sad voice brought a frown to Aurora's face and she hugged him tighter. She had avoided that thought as much as she could, but it was inevitable that it would happen eventually. Aurora had a hard time fathoming life without Rudy. She regretted the idea of sleeping alone, without his being there to protect and hold her. She worried what would become of him once he was away long enough; as much as Aurora loved and trusted him, there was still a wary side to her. Rostandus and Avery were just two of the people outside of school that would be waiting for Rudy. And not Aurora's Rudy, but the pureblood, evil little rich boy Rudy. Would he change back? Would he be forced to parties and events and thrust into the middle of elegant, rich, pureblood women all waiting for their turn at him? Would he forget Aurora, realize he had been a fool for dating her, and go after what he rightly deserved? All this bothered Aurora so much so that she felt sick when she thought about it. How many people would voice their opinions in hopes of changing Rudy's mind about her? How many girls would it take to convince him he could do better that the daughter of a squib? How many butterbeers before he would snog another…

Aurora frowned deeper and listened halfheartedly to their music. This was her home now. Rudy was her home. What she would do without him, Aurora couldn't fathom. She had never felt such an obsession for someone before, such insane emotions when it came to one person. Every girl that looked at him was a potential threat and an immediate enemy of Aurora's. Every person who stood in the way of their relationship pissed Aurora off even if they were doing it out of worry. Aurora needed Rudy like she needed the blood in her veins. He had become such an intricate part of her everyday life…it scared her to think about not having him. But it scared her worse to ponder what a commitment she had gotten herself into.

"Your parents still in Jordan?" Rudy prodded for conversation and Aurora nodded absently.

"Yes."

"At least it'll be warm there."

Another absent nod. "Yes."

Rudy sensed her melancholy and tried to cheer her up. "It won't be so bad, being separated. It's just for a little while and then we can come back and pick up where we left off."

"Can we?"

Rudy blinked. "What do you mean?"

Aurora opened her mouth, and then closed it again. Did she really want to get into all of that with him? Was it worth it to disclose her worry, his mistrust of his family and friends, and even of him to ensure he would still be faithful to her?

"Nevermind." No, it wasn't worth it. Aurora sighed. "I'd much prefer to spend Christmas alone with you, is all."

"I would too starshine, but we still have families that need us…" Rudy had to fight the steel in his voice. Aurora needed someone gentle, not his iron bravado, not the ferocity of the protective instinct he felt for his mother. He needed to go home. He needed to always be at home. His time at Hogwarts was almost a waste… only now he would return, do his duty, only to neglect his duty to Aurora…

Aurora harrumphed. "My family will be spending the whole vacation traveling the desert for their seasonal racing. The pot is always exceptionally bigger around Christmas because there are more vacationers coming out to watch. I will be left to find something to do while they do business."

"Don't you help them at all?"

"I do, but once the horses are off, they're off. Nothing left to do but either travel by caravan to the next base along the route, or go back home and wait for results." Aurora shifted in his lap. "I may very well just head to Alexandria while the race is going on. See if I can't snag a job at the museum to earn a little money."

"Is it a muggle job?" Rudy asked with a hint of disdain in his voice. He quickly apologized for it but Aurora shrugged.

"There are a few wizarding families in Egypt. Billy Growswell has been a friend of my family for a while. He's the curator at the museum and the last time we were in Egypt he let me work there a few hours every day. It gave me more access to the library materials that weren't open to the public, so naturally I took him up on it."

"Maybe I should apparate over one day just so you can show me what's so fascinating about this library," Rudy teased, giving Aurora's butt a little pinch. "Unless you're too busy getting acquainted with those mummies."

Aurora squirmed and gave his chest a light punch. "Those mummies don't pinch at least!"

"They don't make love either," Rudy smirked and Aurora raised her eyebrows at him.

"They did at one point. Rudy, the history in that museum is astounding. You pick up a book and realize there is a whole world that you know nothing about, only it doesn't even exist anymore! What they teach us about wizarding history, it's just the tip of the iceberg. Wizards weren't located JUST in England you know. How do you think those pyramids were built? Muggles? Ha. Wizarding was all over the world at one point, and the discoveries and advancements that were made in the way of magic by these ancient people…it's fascinating. I've only ever seen books that cover such material, however, in Egypt. London's libraries won't expand on such things outside of England. We're taught to believe the golden age of wizardy was in our own backyards, but reading on other wizarding cultures…you realize it's not true at all!"

Rudy beamed down at her. She spoke with such driving passion and there was such excitement on her face! He had originally joked about being able to slip away, but she sold it so much that he actually started considering the idea.

"Anyway," She continued, tucking some hair behind her ear. "That's about the only good thing that can come from this vacation. Otherwise, I just want it to end so I can come back here to you."

"Aurora, what's your favorite food?" Rudy asked suddenly and Aurora laughed, sitting up to look at him.

"Lasagna, why?" She scrutinized him before adding. "Though if we're talking dessert, I love pumpkin pie…though chocolate chip cookies is a close second."

Rudy nodded. "I just realized how little I know about you, and it bothers me."

Aurora shook her head and hit him gently with a pillow. "You're silly. You know more about me than my parents do."

Rudy snatched the pillow from her. "No I don't! When's your birthday?"

"September twenty-fifth."

"Favorite color?"

"Blue." They both answered simultaneously. Rudy laughed. "Should've known."

"I like purple too. And silver."

"Colors of the sky and ocean, colors of your eyes," Rudy reflected. "Colors of winter." He paused a moment, brushing her hair back from her face slowly, memorizing the muted play of shadows across her face, all purples and blues, just like she'd said, the darker hints in her eyes out to match. "Favorite subject?" He asked quietly

Aurora rolled her eyes and hit him with the pillow.

"Okay, okay. Astronomy, got it," Rudy chuckled and hit her with the pillow in turn. "You distracted me. What about favorite place to be?"

"Here. With you."

His grin grew. "I meant where you've traveled to."

"I love Paris."

"You virgin."

Aurora took up another pillow and him harder. "Shut up! You're just as helpless a romantic as I."

Rudy laughed some more and shook his head. "So lasagna, pumpkin, pie, blue, Astronomy, and Paris…see! There's a whole world of stuff I didn't know about you."

"Well, what about you? I know just as little."

Rudy laughed. "You know I write poetry in my spare time, and you know why I love flying, and you know why I am a Beater for the quidditch team, you know my mother was a dancer and you know I'm in love with you… but, I suppose most of me is not satisfying. Everybody always wants more…"

Aurora swatted him. "What's your most favorite place you've ever been?"

Rudy paused, thinking about it. "I think I'd have to say Spain. The flying was good—mountains and beach and valley and field, anything you wanted was within arm's reach. The sun was out in full force, and the rain fell with a purpose and not halfheartedly."

"Why were you there?" Aurora laid her head on his chest and listened to the hum of his voice.

"Rabastan wanted to spend the summer with Pedro Guerras, and my parents and I stayed for a week when we picked him up. It would have been awful, except Señor Guerras caught me ogling his broomsticks. Got me out of _another_ awful garden party… and, incidentally, away from another girl I didn't like."

Aurora grinned. "I'm glad you don't run from me."

"I run to you," Rudy said tenderly, and kissed the top of her head. Soft, quiet smile.

"Do you like Spanish food, too?"

"Yes, but it's not my favorite, actually. I much prefer Italian to most other dishes. Roast beef, and swiss cheese, and garlic bread!" Aurora heard his stomach rumble. "Alongside an ale, some potatoes… that's a meal that can't be beaten."

"Don't you ever kiss me after you eat that," Aurora said, pulling a face.

Rudy grinned. "I know more magic than you give me credit for. I know how to get rid of bad breath if I want to."

"Mmm. You should try it more often," Aurora chided playfully.

"What? I always put a humbug in my mouth before I come up here…" Rudy cupped his hand around his mouth and attempted to smell his own breath.

Aurora laughed, looking up at him. "I'm kidding, Rudy." Rudy nudged her playfully.

"What's your favorite color?"

"I don't have one," Rudy said automatically. "I like sharp color contrasts, and I won't wear—"

"Pink."

"I was going to say yellow, but I won't wear pink either."

"Even if I buy it for you?" Aurora stared at him critically.

"Kinky," Rudy replied. "I didn't know you were into punishing your man, as well as pleasing him…"

"Have to keep you in line somehow." Aurora slid her hand from his chest to his neck, pulled him down to kiss her.

Rudy sighed, pulling away, and wrapped his arms around her, his heart thudding painfully with thoughts of break. "I adore you," he crooned to her, resting his cheek on her hair, and his smile was momentarily sad.

Rudy leaned back. "Go on, ask me another question."

Aurora paused. "How was your exam?"

Rudy snickered. "Long. I spent half the time thinking about you. And you know Dumbledore—there's always a ton of essay questions."

"Think you did okay?"

"Of course. It's transfiguration. I don't have a choice."

Aurora looked at him strangely. "Why not?"

"I—" Rudy was getting way too comfortable around Aurora. Had he just slipped? Had he almost started talking about the unspeakable to her? "I was born good at Transfiguration."

Aurora's eyes bored into him, and she smiled softly. "That's not what you were going to say." She said it instinctively, and then looked away. "Sorry," she apologized quickly. "Bad habit."

"It's okay." A pause, and Rudy shifted. "My father would be really angry if I didn't do well in school. He wants me to be the best wizard I can be." Did she notice how hollow it sounded? If he was going to talk about his family, why was he still hiding things from her? He took a deep breath. "I have to look good. It's part of being a Lestrange. Besides, it helps hide the fact that I'm sterile."

Aurora could feel the tension in his body. "Why does it matter?" She looked fiercely into his face. "Why does he care so much? So you can't have kids—"

Rudy cut her off. "Exactly. Firstborn male of a pureblood line cannot have children. It's an embarrassment. It's a problem. Unless you're squibbed or blood traitor, like Sirius Black, it's an issue."

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Purebloods." She paused. "Do I make you a bloodtraitor?"

Rudy glanced down at Aurora, frowning. "If you did, I have a feeling we'd know about it. I'd be the one getting jumped in the locker rooms."

Aurora curled up on Rudy's lap, hugging her knees as she leaned against his chest. Rudy felt guilty for bringing up Avery, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Truth or Dare?"

Aurora smiled. "Dare."

"I dare you to go lingerie shopping while you're in Alexandria."

Aurora raised an eyebrow. "Long-term truth or dare, hm?"

Rudy shrugged. "Your turn… unless you don't think you can do it."

Aurora flushed and shoved him slightly, and Rudy grinned. "Virgin."

"Not anymore! Fine, I'll go. What's your favorite color, so I can buy you a pair of tight underpants?"

Rudy laughed. "For underwear, I'd have to go black." He was fingering the curls at the end of her hair again, almost lost in staring fondly at her.

"Truth or Dare?" She asked.

"Dare. Wouldn't want to be outdone by a girl." He winked.

Aurora thought for a moment. "I dare you go buy a copy of the Kama Sutra in Flourish and Blots." She flushed slightly. It was the most sexually charged thing she could think of, and Rudy's dare had to be outdone.

Rudy broke out in a wide grin, sliding around underneath Aurora so that he lay down on the couch. He reached under the couch, appeared to feel around for a moment, stretched… and then grinned. "Done and done," he said, laughing slightly as he pulled his arm out, his hand clutching a small blue book. He showed her the title, and then flipped it over so that she could see the large F-B bleached into the fabric cover of the book. He summoned a pillow, propped it under his neck, and pulled Aurora down on top of him.

She opened it and flipped through, stopping on one page. She flipped it over to show him the picture. "Would you ever do it upside down like that, standing on your head?"

"Only if you asked me _really_ nicely." Rudy took the book back from her, staring at the illustration as it moved on the page. "Looks uncomfortable," he said. The drawing paid him no more heed than a portrait of the deaf headmaster on the third floor. He pulled the book back out of her reach. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Aurora said, scratching Rudy's side lightly with her fingernails. His talk was making her feel bold. She wanted to impress him.

"I dare you to read the whole thing over break."

Aurora grinned, reaching out for the book. Rudy pulled it back over his head. Aurora crawled over him, straining to reach the book. She secretly loved the ability to tease him with her body this way. It made her feel beautiful, that it came so easily to her, and always worked so well.

Aurora grinned, sliding her leg over Rudy. He flinched, let his eyes roll backwards and closed. "Gods," he said, shortly. "You're like a cat in heat…"

"Do you really want me to stop?"

"Never," Rudy said. "If you can get me started, sally forth…"

"Amateur," Aurora chided. "All good men can go multiple rounds in a night."

"Never say never…"

Aurora grinned, scooted herself backwards and dragged her nails lightly down Rudy's sides and lower still. He was tired, but she could wake him up. She was sure of it. He was always hungry for her. Hadn't he said it, that he was always turned on?

"Rudy," she called. "Come up and play with me. _I dare you_." She squeezed him, kissed him lightly. Rudy could feel the arousal pulsing in his veins… he wanted to be hard, just to get rid of it a little…she scratched him slightly, and he jerked, swelling ever so slightly.

Mischief broke across her face, and she looked across the room. There had to be something inventive, something new that would make him as eager to please her and she was him… what could it be…

She got up and walked over to the fireplace, her hair swinging down behind her. Rudy reached reach down with both hands, and sighed.

Aurora turned around just in time to see. "Do it again," she said, sitting down on the edge of the couch, her eyes wide. "Show me how it's done, if you don't think I can do a good job for you."

"What?"

"You heard me." She crossed her legs, laying one of the fire tools across one knee and leaning back. Rudy stared at her… let his eyes travel from her sculpted, beautiful legs all the way up, slowly, ankles and calves and knees, shining thighs, beautiful hips. Her breasts were just visible to him.

He tugged, squeezed hard and made his stroke slow, so that he ached for his own touch by the time he reached his head. Again. Again. A brief flush crept into his face as he realized what he was doing… somehow, it seemed exciting instead of shameful. He did not feel humiliated. He wondered if he would ever feel naked in front of her again.

His breath caught in his throat and he pumped harder… harder again—

"Stop," Aurora said, and smirked. Rudy froze, staring at her, panting.

She knelt down over him, sitting back on her heels and his knees, and forcibly tugged his hand away. She brought up the thing she had fetched from the fireplace… a small broom. She held it up and began to unscrew the handle.

"Do you know what this is?"

She was so beautiful, Rudy thought, with that confidence in her eyes.

"It's a broom," Rudy answered.

"And do you know what I'm going to do with it?"

Rudy shook his head, his breathing quicker with anticipation.

The broom handle came away. "I'm going to brush you with it, Rudy." She reached out to a box, grabbed her wand, and magicked away the soot and ash. It looked incredibly soft.

"Are you ready?" Aurora teased him with a single finger.

Rudy nodded vigorously.

Aurora shook her head. "I want to hear your delicious voice."

"Yes," Rudy choked, and Aurora buried him in the bristles, and began to brush him with it.

It was unlike anything Rudy had ever known. A thousand tiny hairs all stroking him at once. It tingled. It was such a tease, and so much more than that—it was maddening! Where did she get these tortured ideas… he wanted her now… but this brush was so tantalizing…

Rudy kicked out forcefully, slamming his heel into the arm of the couch. He put his hands around Aurora, jerked her forward, but she scooted further away. Rudy jumped as she held the broom over him. "My show," she whispered, and Rudy groaned as she let the barest tip of the broom brush him.

* * *

Rudy was mostly incoherent. Aurora stretched out on top of him, wishing his sweat would dry as quickly as hers did. Even with the fire in the background, it made her feel cold. He did deserve to be sweating, though. Sweating and sleeping. She'd pushed him four times, now, four times in two hours! Aurora smiled and scratched his chest.

"Rudy, I love you."

"I adore you, starshine…gods… you're Circe incarnate…" he gave a feeble laugh and smacked her sloppily on the butt. Aurora had been to the shower and back, and he was still reeling. He was awake, though. She'd told him to wait up. Aurora was impressed he actually had been able to keep himself from falling asleep.

She traced a finger over the ripples of muscle in his chest, scratched her fingernails over the scar lightly etched into his side.

"What happened here?"

"Hmmm?" Rudy lifted his head with great effort and looked. It was difficult to make his eyes focus. "Oh," he said, noticing his own scar. "You don't want to know about that." Rudy let his head fall back on the couch.

Aurora poked him. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know. You have to tell me. Your truth is to tell me and your dare is 'I dare you to tell me.' "

Rudy opened one eye and stared at her. "You win, then. Circe you win… you are incredible… where did you get the idea to use the broom? Circe…"

Aurora frowned at him, suddenly unwilling to change the subject. "Bad memory?" She laid down next to him.

"Something like that," Rudy said, scooting to make room for her.

"Tell me anyway," she goaded. "Or I'll keep you awake all night to study with me."

"Is that what you call it?"

Aurora swatted him, and he gave another tired laugh.

"Tell me," she said, tugging on his ear.

Rudy opened both eyes and turned to look at her.

"It's a curse scar," he said, slowly. "My father is really paranoid about letting people onto our property, so if he ever can get me to do whatever it is he needs done… usually I do it." Rudy leaned back into the couch pillow and closed his eyes. "Anyway, last summer he gave me some chore to do just as I was going to go out flying for the first time in weeks, the sun was actually out. I told him no, I was going to go for a fly first… anyway, he aimed for my broomstick, but the defensive spells on it deflected the spell, and it hit me instead. Well, grazed, really. Could have been a lot worse."

"At least your broom was okay," Aurora said, her voice small. She brushed her fingers over the scar again.

"Nope," Rudy contradicted her. "He ended up getting the broomstick after all. Splintered it."

Aurora winced, and settled on Rudy's shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Sorry you asked or sorry I don't get along with my father too well?"

"Not the first one."

Rudy smiled. In the wake of their lovemaking, the memory didn't seem so bad. Maybe it wasn't. Wasn't one of the worst days he could remember with his father, anyway. And who cared about him, when Aurora was here?

"Why don't you get along so well?" Questions she hadn't ever dared to ask before. Was it wrong to pressure him when he was half asleep that way? After-glowing, wasn't it?

"You are full of questions tonight, aren't you…"

"You don't have to say, if you don't want—"

"He doesn't think I try hard enough to be a good son to him, and I don't like the way he talks to my mother."

"What—"

"Now we drop it, starshine." Rudy didn't want to think about his mother right now. He wanted to lay here with Aurora and think about her.

Aurora sheepishly tucked herself down next to Rudy, again, and fell silent. It was certainly more than he usually said about his father. Rudy's breathing was slow and deep next to her.

"I love you," she whispered.

Rudy turned and wrapped her in his limbs, shielding her from his world. "I love you too," he agreed simply. To Aurora's wakened, churning mind, it seemed he was asleep in moments.

* * *

_More exam-time stress relief! Let us know if you're sick of it yet, or if you just want more. We gratefully respond to all our reviews on our profile page. _


	27. Blizzard

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 27

* * *

It was the first blizzard of the season. Aurora had to wake up hours before Rudy to get ready for her two exams. Rudy wasn't needed until later in the afternoon and she was glad. Upon waking up first thing in the morning, Aurora studied his sleeping face. He was out cold. His whole body heaved with the deep breaths he took and he was a tangle of limbs, pillows, and blankets. Yet somehow, he had still managed to keep one arm firmly around Aurora, his hand resting gently against her buttocks, and his face buried in her hair. She loved waking up to him, feeling so protected and safe in his arms. Never had Aurora felt so good about life in general. She slept better at night, laughed more, and loved someone with her whole heart.

It was a life she was hesitant to put on hold over break.

She took a few extra minutes this morning, the snow pounding haphazardly against their window, to lay with her boyfriend. Her hand rested gently against his chest to feel the pound of his heart, and she brushed light kisses against his neck, to which he did not wake. The night's events had left Rudy completely satisfied but drained beyond reason. Aurora giggled thinking about it; she HAD been a cat in heat, but she was rightly obsessed with his body. Who wouldn't be? He had the strength of an ox, the body of a god, and the stamina to withstand her constant teasing and lusting. Her own body was stiff with the pleasure and she thanked Circe for having this unholy man to herself.

Giving him a final kiss, Aurora carefully untangled herself from his arms, and only then did he stir, sensing her absence next to him.

"Time…?" He asked gruffly, still half asleep.

"Too early for you, my love," Aurora said quietly, kneeling down to run her fingers through his hair. "Go back to sleep. I have to go to class."

Rudy nodded vaguely and mumbled something inaudible. Aurora grinned and kissed his lips tenderly, sending him back into his pleasant and deep sleep, but not before he tucked a pillow under his arm to replace Aurora. She marveled at his adorable self.

Carefully she dressed in her usual school uniform and braided her hair as she watched the snow come down in waves. It was impossible to see farther than five feet. So much for owling her parents about coming home, she thought. It would have to wait until the weather cleared. The wind howled in the chimney and between the gaps in the window and Aurora made sure to light the fire again and adjust Rudy's blankets before she went downstairs. The attic had acquired a slight chill and with the weather as it was, it was doubtful it would heat up anytime soon.

Her first exam went relatively smoothly, though Aurora cursed herself with the last few essay questions, wishing she had spent at least a few minutes reviewing the finer details of potions. She knew the basics, better than most students, but after last night the filler information was difficult to remember. That's what she sacrificed, though, for a night of sexual bliss…she smiled to herself as she handed it in to Slughorn. He eyed her curiously.

"In a good mood today, Miss Sinistra?"

"Yes sir," Aurora nodded quietly.

Slughorn smiled up at her. "Productive night? Get all your studying done?"

Aurora couldn't help but giggle. "I studied hi—IT, I studied IT all night."

Slughorn raised his eyebrows as Aurora left the classroom, face-palming for almost slipping up. She detoured to the Great Hall to get a light breakfast, and before returning upstairs she filled up two large mugs of hot cocoa. In them, she placed a candy cane and whipped cream. Glancing over toward the Slytherin table, Aurora was momentarily distracted by Severus, walking down the way with Lily Evans. She batted her lashes at him despite his eyes being glued to his feet bashfully as they walked. Aurora smirked. Typical Lily sucking up to everyone. She knew Severus was fond of her, but there was still a tug when Aurora thought of her actually taking the liberty to walk with Sev. Especially after all her friends- pureblood, gryffindor prick James Potter and his stupid sidekick Sirius- had done to him. Did Lily really think her forced kindness could make everything okay with Snape? Aurora shook her head, disappointed that Sev would even tolerate her. There again, Snape wasn't exactly rational when it came to Lily Evans.

She supposed she knew how it felt, though. She wasn't exactly rational when it came to Rudy, either.

Heading back up to the attic, Aurora found Rudy still sleeping. She was careful to make as little noise as possible, and cast a heating charm on the mugs to keep the contents warm. Sitting up to his desk, she sipped her own hot chocolate with peppermint and opened her Dark Arts books to study for that exam. But her eyes kept wandering over to sleeping Rudy and every time she adored him, her heart felt another heavy weight added. All she could think about was leaving him. He was right, of course, it was just for a few weeks…but couldn't that few weeks either make or break their relationship? Rudy rarely talked about his family, especially his father, but he had talked just enough last night to arouse Aurora's suspicions. His father would not like her. He would not like Rudy seeing her.

If only Aurora's father had been one of the wizards in his family! It would make Aurora almost completely pureblood- it would make her purer than half of Slytherin House- and she wouldn't have this problem. Her mother's family was so reputable in France—why didn't any of that carry over to her? Why was she so mutated by her father's inability to do magic? He was not her, and she was just as accomplished a witch as any pureblood girl. She had the family too, except her sole father. The outcast, the reject, the squib…

Aurora felt guilty blaming him like this. It wasn't his fault he wasn't a wizard. She could only imagine how hard school had been for him, when his brother was such a popular guy among his wizard classmates and his family had plenty of wizarding blood in it…ma_ybe it's good I can't get pregnant with Rudy,_ Aurora thought. How could she ever bring a child into this world when it had the potential to be a squib also? How could she watch it enter this cruel world where even the slightest deformity in blood could cause a life a suffering and hate? She ran a hand over her gut, where Avery had so brutally driven that message home. _Just good for a fuck_…not even her children would be free of her father's curse. And there was nothing she or Rudy could do about it.

…_how alike we are_, Aurora pondered, her gaze drifting back outside. _Both outcasts due to circumstances we have no control over. He the sterile one, and I…I who should be sterile because my seed is potentially tainted. I who may never birth anyway because who would marry the daughter of a squib?_ It was all a matter of blood again and it pissed Aurora off. Rudy's sterility didn't bother her in the slightest, in fact she loved him more for it. Her perfect pureblood wasn't so perfect. He was just as human, just as vulnerable as she was. He struggled with the same problem she had; a deformity in his blood that would prevent him from helping the pureblood race. Maybe they were meant for each other after all. Aurora could only hope because with break looming so close, it may prove to be their only saving grace.

* * *

As the time came to wake Rudy up and to go to her next exam, the desire to continue studying dwindled. Placing her books aside and grabbing her wand, Aurora found the bucket Rudy had once managed to transfigure into a larger tub. Scrunching her nose and tapping her wand lightly against her lips, Aurora studied it for a minute. How had he done it again? Aurora was fine with transfiguration—she knew the book backwards. But Rudy had a flair with it that she had never quite understood. And enlarging a bucket to such a size was going to be difficult. But Aurora wanted Rudy to be comfortable and clean when he awoke so she attempted a flourish of her wand anyway.

The bucket enlarged, but did not reshape itself. Instead, it just looked like a giant bucket, busting at the seams. Aurora frowned and tried again. The tub shifted, groaned under the stress and at least turned into a jelly bean shape. But the walls were too short to accommodate water AND Rudy and it just looked like a big pan. Aurora scratched at her neck distractedly and tried a few different wand strokes, but the tub simply wouldn't cooperate. Aurora cursed under her breath and returned the bucket to a normal size. So much for that idea, she thought.

And then the bucket starting shifting without her doing anything and Aurora took a step back in surprise. Her step was stopped short as she ran into Rudy, standing behind her, holding his wand and changing the bucket back into a perfectly shaped tub. He grinned down at her and finished the spell before her eyes. Aurora folded her arms and nodded at the completed tub.

"Arrogant little bastard aren't you?" She teased, elbowing him in the ribs.

Rudy shrugged with a smirk, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her gently.

"Good morning to you too, starshine."

"Afternoon actually," Aurora corrected, rubbing her nose against his with a sweet smile. "You slept straight through the morning. I was just about to wake you up."

He was still in the nude, where he loomed above her, and Aurora couldn't keep her hands from traveling around his back and down to his solid ass. His hair was a mess, and his shadow needed trimming, but he still looked handsome to her.

"And you're taking a bath now?" He asked quietly, nodding towards the tub.

"Oh! No, it's for you!" Aurora pulled away from him and scuttled over to grab his mug of steaming cocoa. "So is this. There's a blizzard outside!"

"So I see," Rudy took the cup from her and sipped it, smacking his lips. "This is delicious."

"They had it downstairs for breakfast. Thought I'd save you a glass."

Aurora went about filling the tub with steaming water and draped the clean silk cloth over the edge. With another flick of her wand, Rudy's usual shampoo and such lined themselves next to the tub and another flick started the wireless' quiet music. Rudy looked up from where he sat drinking his cocoa and his eyes drifted over the warm tub and his soaps, to the wireless, and back to Aurora who was folding up her sleeves and kicking off her socks.

"What's all this?" He asked.

Aurora shrugged. "I want to serve you today…since you served me so well last night."

Rudy chuckled and set his empty mug aside, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. "Served you four times, no less. You minx."

Aurora beamed and gestured to the tub. "Come on you, I've got to get you looking presentable before your exam. Heaven forbid you go looking like you just shagged me."

"Four times."

They both laughed quietly as Rudy stepped into the tub and sank into the warm water. Truthfully it felt good, relaxing every muscle and washing away the sweat from last night. Aurora got on her knees behind the tub and massaged his shoulders gently, pushing him under the water to get his hair wet. He went under without struggle, and came up relaxing against the side. Aurora gently massaged the shampoo into his scalp with her slender fingers, listening to him hum along to the music from the wireless. His eyes rolled back into his head at her touch at the back of his scalp where she purposefully massaged her fingertips into his hot spot.

"Don't turn me on…" He grumbled.

Aurora smirked and gave his shoulders a gentle push again and he went under to rinse his hair free of the shampoo. When he came up and wiped his eyes, Aurora already had her hand full of the conditioner and she slapped it onto his head, giggling at the sound it made. Rudy rolled his eyes and let her repeat the procedure from earlier, thoroughly enjoying the massage that came with it. When she finished, Aurora leaned over his shoulder and kissed him delicately.

"Time to stand up," She said in his ear, giving him shivers despite the hot water.

He did as told and Aurora stepped into the tub, taking his hand for balance. In her other hand, she had the silk lathered with his soap. She could already smell his scent vibrating around them and he looked at her curiously.

"Sure going to a lot of trouble aren't you?"

"No such thing as trouble for the man I love."

"That will never get old…"

"What?" Aurora looked up at him curiously. She had started scrubbing his body with the silk, bending near the water, the hem of her skirt getting slightly wet as she worked on his sturdy legs.

"Hearing that word escape your lips. Love…" Rudy let it linger in the air in front of him, rolling it off the tip of his tongue as if it were precious candy.

Aurora smiled to herself but continued working, carefully washing every inch of him as she worked her way up.

"Never thought I'd hear those words from you," He continued quietly, watching her. "Never amidst the 'arrogant pureblood' and 'stubborn jackass.'"

Rudy shivered slightly when she washed around his inner thighs, being gentle and staying focused on her work.

"Never thought I'd say it to you, either," He concluded quietly as she started on his torso, glancing up at him only to flash a smile. "Never thought I'd say it to anyone. Not now anyway. Not this year. Love…"

Aurora listened to the word swell from his chest and when she got to his shoulders he reached up to cup her face and kiss her with all the depth of that pondered and pilfered word. Aurora sighed contently and dropped the silk to the edge of the tub and wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him back fully. When she pulled away, they were both beaming at each other.

"I love you," Rudy said, tracing his thumb along her lower lip.

"I love you too, Rudy," Aurora replied. "Now wash your hair out and get dressed. We're going to be late."

Rudy nodded and helped Aurora step back out of the tub while he himself sank back down into the hot water and rinsed his hair and body clean of the soap. When he emerged from the water and wrapped the towel around him, he smelled and looked like new. His hair dried quickly and he dressed warm for the drafty castle. Aurora sat on the couch and finished studying while watching him get ready, and was sad to see that amazing body disappear under all those layers of clothes. When they were both redressed, they kissed a final time and wished each other luck before going their separate ways to take their exams.

* * *

Rudy was starving. "And why shouldn't I be," he said to himself, grumbling on his way down the charms corridor. "I deserve something to eat…" He grinned. Yes, he did deserve something to eat. Four rounds with his insatiable girlfriend…

He grinned to himself, drawing out his wand and conjuring a goblet. A couple of glasses of water would have to do for now. He caught it deftly as it fell out of the air, examining it slightly, weighing it in his hand. Not a bad job. Nothing ostentatious, but it was a pretty little piece… faster swish, maybe, he thought. Make the lines better.

He charmed it full of water and leaned on the wall outside the classroom, drinking it quickly. Charms was his worst subject; it was the only one that came naturally to him, and thus the only one he didn't study. Charms exams were the only ones he walked into and out of nervously. The grades generally came out okay, even excellent—but not perfect.

He said a silent prayer to himself, blushing slightly. How would he explain it to his father? ' I got horny and decided studying wasn't worth it ' ? Maybe he'd be the best charms student in school when he came back from break… Circe help him. He didn't need a poor charms grade hanging over his head too.

He filled the water glass again, lifted it to his lips. The water was warm. Rudy lifted his wand and stared at it critically. Aguamenti wasn't an advanced charm. He'd been doing it for years—useful little spell. Why was the water suddenly warmer than he liked?

_You need to calm your ass down, Rudy—you can't be psyched out for a practical—_

Another rock fell into the pit of his stomach. Practical's were to be relished. Practical's were usually the last time he did magic until the upcoming school year. He felt his wand grow hot in his hand, as if the wood had noticed it would shortly be separated from its master. He swung it back and forth at his side, clutching the handle tightly as he downed the water glass.

He nodded to Greg, draining the cup. Nott smirked at him, beckoned with his head slightly. Rudy threw the goblet up into the air—

It vanished in a shower of green sparks, and Nott scowled at him.

"Makes a difference who tosses it," he defended as he foully launched himself into the charms classroom. "Stop smirking at me, or I'll deck your bloody teeth right out of your sneering mouth."

Rudy grinned. Greg always hated exams. He attacked them—and most anybody around him—until they were finished.

Rudy sat down in his seat between "Lavelle" and "Little," and felt another shock of panic go through him. He hated the waiting part of it.

He turned his wand over and over in his hands, twirling it in his fingers like a drumstick, holding tightly as he cracked his wrists. He was always halfway down the line.

_Think about something ELSE—_

Rudy leaned down, resting his elbows on his knees, looking for something else. The bright silver buckle of his shoe caught his eye, "Carlisle 385" etched into silver there.

_385 x 583 is…_

Rudy grinned. He loved numbers with patterns in them. "224455," he said aloud, looking up at the person across from him. He hadn't known the answer would be so excellent. He engendered no response from Little or Lavelle, both of whom seemed frantically repeating spells to themselves. Rudy frowned and looked back down at the floor.

_Don't hang your head like that, sit up—don't you know anything about your breeding? Act your station, damnit—_

Rudy sat up and leaned back in his chair, automatically posing as bored as he could possibly look. It was just charms. Of course he could do charms. Nobody ever yelled at him about charms because it was so easy for him…

_As if anything comes easily to you—if you were any stupider, I'd have to teach you which hole to shit out of—_

_386 x 683 is… 263638…_

_387 x 783 is… 303021…_

_THINK ANOTHER THOUGHT, RUDY—_

He reached into his bag, drew out a quill. A quill he had bought because Aurora said it made him look elegant.

_Aurora._

Her name shone in his head, and Rudy exhaled deeply, broken images of the previous evening rushing back to him, watching her turn to face him at the fireplace, watching her kneel at his feet in the top, watching her stretch herself out over him, felt the feel of her pressed closely.

He would get out of this exam to go and be with her. To be with his Aura, his starshine. He exhaled again. Did break matter, when he still had her for days?

Hours and days. Two whole days after exams were over, three more days of exams. He had her for close to a week, still.

_Or maybe she has me…_

He leaned back in his chair, thinking. She had outdone him last night. She had inspected and stared and used him mercilessly. It had been so intense, so excruciatingly good… he would have to pay her back, for that. With what? What would be good enough for her?

Something from the kitchen, he thought. Not a broom, though. Something better. Something…

Chills rocked Rudy. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

Or maybe he would save it… maybe he would write her a letter about it over break, a kinky little postscript…

His heart plummeted again. He needed to talk to her about letters. He'd write to her, every day, but there couldn't be any letters from her. His father would be certain to find out, then. Rudy couldn't believe he hadn't caught wind of it already. Surely people were talking… surely he knew…

_Maybe he knew and didn't care_, Rudy thought._ Maybe he thinks I'm in it for the shag, just like Nott and just like Avery. Maybe he'll even like it. She is beautiful…_

Rudy realized he had no photograph of her. He needed one of those.

"Rodolphus?"

Rudy looked up. Little and Lavelle were gone. "Come on, son—it'll all be over quickly—" Tall, winnowed Professor Birch beckoned Rudy into the classroom, white hair wispy around his ears.

Rudy stood up and strode as confidently as he could fake into the practical room. _If he doesn't like it, I'll just send Dizzy to the post every day. If it wasn't this, it'd just be something else._

A nasty little voice in the back of his brain.

_Unless he goes for her..._

Ice flooded Rudy as the door shut behind him.

* * *

Rudy emerged from the charms classroom sweating. He'd needed four tries and some clever banter to get his comb to shrink to the size of his palm—he kept over doing it and shrinking it too much.

His feet carried him aimlessly back up the stairs towards the library, where he sat himself gently down in the desk chair, tilting it away towards the window without seeing anything in the room or anything outside.

What had he done to her? What had he done to himself? What was he doing with his life…

He exhaled slowly and sank back into the cushions. The knot in his stomach was glad he had not eaten.

Sometime later, Aurora wearily pushed open the door to the library. She was sweaty from the fire under her cauldron, damp from the steam and fumes rising from it, her brain utterly and completely fried. She dropped her bag by the door and crossed the room to Rudy.

She wrapped her arms around his neck for a moment, kissed his jaw.

"How'd it go?" She asked.

Rudy leaned back to look at her, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. "Okay. You?"

"Same."

Rudy smiled, just looking at her.

"What's eating you?"

"…last I checked it was you…"

Aurora smiled tiredly. "Seriously."

Rudy shrugged. "Oh… I'm just feeling broody. Come here and sit with me. You smell good."

"I smell like cauldron tarnish."

"You smell like sweat, and to me, your sweat is sweet."

Aurora tousled his hair as she came around the chair and eased herself onto his lap.

"It's snowing again," She said softly.

"Yeah," Rudy replied. One of his hands reached up and began to gently massage her neck.

Aurora sighed pleasurably against him. "You can do that for as long as you want."

Rudy placed a soft, long, loving kiss on her forehead, and let his head empty of its thoughts. He watched the falling snow and lost himself in her smell. Under the massage, Aurora was shortly asleep on his shoulder, sprawled in the chair with one hand on Rudy's chest.

Rudy smiled at her, feeling drowsy himself. What a pleasant way to be reminded that she was worth the consequences, whatever they turned out to be.

* * *

"Come on Rudy, the snow has settled."

Aurora's soft voice shook Rudy from his nap and she smiled down at him.

"Come on!"

Rudy rubbed the sleep from his eyes as she slipped off of him and tugged his arms, already in her boots and jacket. Her scarf was snug around her neck and her mittens and headband were set on the desk. She looked ready for some fun in the snow but Rudy still didn't understand what was going on.

"What—where are we going?"

"Outside!" Aurora tugged again but only got him so far as to sit up. "The school is letting us go out while the blizzard is calm before dinner. Everyone's going."

"Everyone is it?" Rudy was still trying to wake himself up and tried pulling his hand away from Aurora but she held tight.

"Yes, everyone! They're making a big Christmas dinner for the great hall and all the students are running outside to enjoy the sticky snow. Dumbledore was the first one out the doors!"

She laughed and tugged again and he couldn't contain the smile. She was adorable the way she was bouncing, literally, in her boots. He stood and stretched, much to her delight, and she barely contained the squeal as she grabbed his jacket and gloves and threw them at him.

"Where are your boots?" She asked, scanning the room and tossing his hat at him as well.

"Over by the fire," Rudy yawned, pulling on his jacket and gathering up his other items strewn about him now. Aurora brought him his boots and dropped them at his feet, then grabbed her mittens and headband and slipped them on.

"Hurry up! Come on!"

Rudy chuckled and sank back into the couch, his motions being too slow for Aurora's liking and she paced anxiously in the room while he laced up his snow boots. When he finally finished she ran to the door and waited for him to slowly stand up, stretch again and saunter towards her. Part of her wondered if he was taking his time just to irk her.

"Not so fast starshine," Rudy said, grabbing the door from her grasp and pushing it shut again. "You owe me a wake up kiss."

"Will it actually wake you up?" Aurora laughed, standing on tiptoe and crushing her lips to his before he could respond. She really WAS excited and it was catching.

Rudy followed her out briskly after that, the kiss really making up for all sleepiness he had struggled to overcome. Students were filing out from all over, bundled up in their snow-gear, some in the colors of their house, some in a whole assortment of colors. Aurora's hand clutched Rudy's eagerly and she grinned at all the other excited students, all the worry about the exams momentarily put on hold while everyone rushed outside to enjoy the cool weather and fresh snow. Many of the professors had bundled up as well and were eager to ditch their supervising posts in the school to stand outside instead. The hallways were ringing with loud chatter, whoops and cheers, giggles and outbursts of laughter. The ghosts watched on un-amused as boys tugged on girl's scarves, and girls compared the newest boots with white fur lining the rim. The hustle and excitement also helped to wake Rudy up as he pumped fists with Parkinson who ran into the couple on the way down.

"Where have you two been hiding? Seriously!" He dared to ask and Rudy simply shrugged with a laugh and asked where the others were.

"Already out!" Marcus grinned, squeezing between the crowds. Rudy easily had a path opening for him and Aurora was glad she could follow right behind. "Who do you think had the idea to start the snowball fight?"

Rudy shook his head. "Snowball fight? Right on."

Aurora grinned to herself. She loved the anticipation of Christmas and the joy new snow always brought. It was like a breath of fresh air through the gray of winter. Even Rudy stepped lighter now and she kept quiet as he and Marcus talked back and forth, almost shouting to be heard over the crowd. Finally the crowd moved enough to let them outside and once out, the students ran in every direction. The cheers got louder and faces turned upwards to greet the crisp air. Snow crunched under the boots of hundreds of teenagers and snowballs flew overhead like loose bludgers seeking their target amongst the crowd. Rudy ducked to avoid a close call with a snowball and pulled Aurora faster out into the evening, the dark sky being lit by the castle's light and the usually peaceful demeanor was interrupted by all the noise. There were people rolling in the snow, building snowmen and snow-forts, making snow angels and enchanting the snow to turn colors, shift and pile itself, fly around, and mold into elegant sculptures. Aurora picked up a handful of snow as Rudy pulled her after Marcus on their way to find his other friends and tossed it at the back of Rudy's head.

Rudy's head ducked into his jacket and he turned around to glare at her while the snow melted down his back.

"Oh you're getting it now Sinistra."

"Rudy! Heads up!"

Bletchly nailed Rudy with yet another snowball and Aurora broke into a fit of giggles as the whole group of Slytherin friends ambushed him. She ducked out of the way just in time to avoid the rebounding snow and he scooped up his own handful, determined to get them all back. Aurora took off when his eyes found her, but Higgins beat Rudy to it and hit Aurora in the side with a snowball. She found her own snow and engaged in a fierce snowball fight with the boys. Nott and Rudy had made a personal vendetta against each other and they were ruthless. Parkinson, Bletchly and Aurora ganged up on the two gurus after getting bored only hitting each other, and drenched Rudy and Greg in snowballs.

Rudy grabbed Aurora's arm in her attempt to stuff the snowball down his shirt and kicked out at Marcus who dodged it just barely. Rudy gruffly held onto a struggling Aurora and pulled her against him, bringing her into his chest as he stuffed snow down her jacket instead. Bletchly also got a cheap shot at Aurora as Rudy held her in place. Immediately thereafter, Bletchly "accidentally" hit Rudy and took off with a half-hearted apology. Rudy dropped Aurora as fast as he had grabbed her and was after him in a flash. Aurora enchanted a snowball to follow Rudy for good measure and turned her attention back to Marcus and Greg—Greg who had pinned Parkinson in the snow and was shoveling handfuls of snow into his face. With a running start, Aurora shoved the shoulders of Nott and sent him into the snow, surprising him just enough for Parkinson to pin him in return. But with three enchanted snowballs to the back of her head, Aurora hardly had time to curse before Rudy had tackled her back into the snow. Both laughing, the two fiercely shoved snow into their faces and jackets.

By the time dinner was called, the entire student body was soaking wet and out of breath, the snow taking out of them all the energy they had kept cooped up whilst studying for the exams. Professors ushered the kids back inside, as they groaned and mopped about having to stop the fun just to eat dinner. Truthfully the time could not have been better, because the wind had started picking up again as new snow started falling, and there was still studying left for many students. The halls were slippery and kids slid all over, some actually falling, while others simply took running starts and slid purposefully into one another. Some shuffled back to their common rooms to change out of their wet clothes, but most just stuck it out and went into the Great Hall where a dinner fit for a king was set. The gasps and excited squeals replaced the loud hustle of being outside and the benches were soon packed with hungry and cold students. The fireplaces roared, and the staff table was almost entirely empty because the professors were still ushering kids and brushing the snow off themselves. Rudy lead Aurora to the Slytherin table and gave her a brief kiss before the two dug into the meal.

* * *

Snow fell thickly from the ceiling, white fading to nothing just above the tips of the flickering candles in the hall. Since dinner had been served, the storm had picked up considerably. Aurora was grateful to be indoors—it was almost hot in the great hall. She unzipped her jacket and laid it down on the floor behind her bench, following suit with many other students. The fireplaces had been enlarged in the walls, giant logs aflame to twelve feet in the air; stout trees of fire.

One of Aurora's favorite touches of magic in the Great Hall at Christmas were the giant fir trees, covered in decoration. Just like the ceiling, they were betwitched to reflect the weather outside. Now, they were laden heavily with snow that picked up and swirled on occasion as exterior wind blew, the snow itself vanishing into nothing before it came anywhere near the students.

She had been staring at one particular gust of wind that had blown through all twelve trees when she felt Rudy nudge her.

"Aurora, wake up. Pass that plate, would you?"

Aurora reached for it, but it moved further along the table before her hand got there. "Sorry," she said, looking sympathetically at Rudy.

"Get it back up here, will you? I wanted some more of that."

Rudy pulled yet another dish of potatoes towards him, having almost single-handedly finished the first one. "Circe and merlin, I'm starving!"

Aurora leaned back and looked him up and down. "You've been shoveling food for a half an hour!"

Rudy opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off by the headmaster. Aurora stifled a giggle as his full, open mouth swiveled to face the Teacher's Table.

"IF I MIGHT GAIN YOUR ATTENTION—" Headmaster Dumbledore stood at the front of the room, his purple-robed arms outstretched to the entire hall. "If you would please deposit your winter clothing items on the floor, our service staff will see that they are returned to your rooms, and perhaps we will all have a little more room in here." Without ceremony, he promptly dropped his own heavy snow robe onto the floor in front of him, and it disappeared immediately.

Students everywhere began shedding their clothes, and slowly the din rose again.

"Aurora. Ham. Now." Rudy shoveled another heaping pile of potatoes into his mouth.

"Bet he only did that because half the coats were on the floor anyway, and Madame Maxime was complaining about it."

"OI! Focus! Food!"

"Don't be such a pig," Aurora scolded, wiping her hands daintily on her napkin.

"I haven't eaten all day—and I worked up a serious appetite last night! Pull the damn plate of ham over here—"

"You're going to make yourself sick."

"I'm a growing boy, and I'm a helluva lot bigger than you. Pass the plate, or I will make you pass it." Rudy paused in his shoveling to poke Aurora soundly in the ribs, and she squeaked.

Rudy couldn't help himself laughing as Aurora swore and swatted him painfully. "I WILL NOT be poked—"

Rudy reached over her, standing slightly to grab the plate of ham and dump five more slices on his plate, ignoring her protests. "If you poke me again—"

"You'll protest, again, and I will soundly spank you for your impertinence." Rudy raised an imperious eyebrow at Aurora.

She smirked. "You wouldn't do that to me." She scooted closer to Rudy, sliding her hand over his thigh.

"Do not start that again, Sinistra—" Rudy reached down and grabbed her wrist, jerking it back up above the table, but Aurora's other hand was already brushing the hair at the nape of Rudy's neck with her fingernails. "Aurora—I will—"

"Not poke me again," she breathed. She kissed his cheek lightly, staring smoothly up at him from below her eyelashes. Aurora tugged slightly, and Rudy immediately let go her hand. She went back to her dinner, but Rudy continued to stare at her, his mouth slightly open.

"Thought you had an appetite," she teased. Rudy glared at her. "Don't dish out unless you can take it, Lestrange."

Rudy's fork dropped on his plate with a clatter, just as the carving knife had when Aurora had thrown him that look from the Veloce's dining table. He grabbed her jaw and kissed her forcefully.

Rudy pulled away, appreciating the flush that he had left in his girlfriend's cheeks. She was so pretty, with her sweater open like that, and her eyes bright from playing. She looked so young and innocent and hopelessly in love with him.

He kissed her forehead slightly, and turned back to his food, noticing the stares of the entire table. Rudy caught Greg's eye almost immediately, and Greg whistled. So did the rest of the table.

"Take notes," Rudy said, and went back to eating.

His pressed his knee to Aurora's under the table, and felt her pinch him, slightly. He jumped.

Laying his wand arm casually around Aurora's shoulder, he stirred the air with it slightly. A wooden spoon fell onto Aurora's plate, and began to make subtle spanking motions near the mostly-whole cornish hen Aurora had picked at for dinner. Aurora's whisper was quiet, scandalized. "You wouldn't dare," she said, shoving the spoon into the bowl of potatoes before it was noticed. Rudy grinned without even looking at it, munching on a roll.

They talked for awhile longer, rehashing the snowball fight and talking about plans for break. It turned out that everyone at the table had received an invitation to the Fortefleuve Christmas party.

Aurora was incensed to hear it. Who did she think she was, trying to throw a bash to compete with the Triwizard Tournament—with Hogwarts? It was utterly insulting.

"She's a fool, to try and compete with the Yule Ball. I bet nobody shows."

"You can go to more than one party in a season. It's not like it's on the same day."

Aurora scowled at the opulence. More than one ball in a calendar year? How would she ever afford the dresses?

Marcus shrugged. "Part of being in society," he said. Aurora glared at him. Marcus frowned. He hadn't meant to be insulting.

"Rudy, if you abandon me at this dance to go to some pony show hosted by that floozy—"

The entire table laughed.

Rudy pulled her in close and kissed the top of her head. "Trust me, I'll be here."

"There's no guarantee he'll go to the Fortfleuve party, either. If anything- or anybody- gives him an excuse to get away from Antoinette—"

Nott grinned. "I bet she comes hunting for you, if you don't show."

Rudy pulled a face. "If she comes hunting me—"

"She'll have to get in line," came a cool voice, drifting over the table. "Someone is always hunting Rudy these days… we must remember to start checking the gutters, first." Bellatrix Black swept her long hair behind her. She gave Aurora a cruel smirk, and then walked off.

Aurora scowled at her.

Higgs looked from one girl to the other. "Careful there, Black—looks like Sinistra has an edge—"

Higgs remark seemed to infuriate Aurora even more than she already was. First Antoinette had to come up, AGAIN, the nasty little poodle, and then Marcus had talked down to her—now Bellatrix and Higgs—

Aurora stood up, and the entire table broke out in excited "Ooooo"s.

Bellatrix stopped in the aisle and regally turned back to Aurora.

"Calm down there, starshine," Rudy said, pulling Aurora's arm down. He silenced the table with a furious glance.

Aurora didn't budge. Rudy rose to stand behind her, his wand clenched in his fist. "Go back to inbreeding, Black," he called out to her, and Bellatrix flushed a dangerous red color.

"Afraid your little French maid can't fight her own battles, Rudy?"

"You're outnumbered, Bellatrix. I'm worth two of you, and so is Rudy. That's four against your pitiful, inbred self. You're smart enough to count, aren't you? Back off."

Severus belatedly rose up from the table behind her. "NO SHE ISN'T," he said, and stumbled out of the bench with his wand already outstretched, ready to defend.

Rudy's table laughed at him.

"Four against two… maybe one and a half…" Aurora spat at them both.

"I don't need you to win a fight," Bellatrix snapped at Sev.

"That is because there will be no fighting here, Miss Black." Dumbledore gently gestured for Aurora and Rudy to sit down again. Rudy had to pull Aurora back towards her seat. She had held her own against Bellatrix verbally, but she didn't need to be jumped in the locker rooms again. Bellatrix was famous for experimenting with dark magic… and for being very good at exacting untraceable revenge.

Rudy watched warily as Dumbledore spoke to Bellatrix, as she stormed out of the Great Hall. Severus had disappeared, somehow escaping Rudy's notice.

"Are you okay, Aura?" Rudy asked, combing some hair behind Aurora's ear.

Nott cut off any answer she would have given. "You know, Sinistra," said Nott, "That was actually kind of impressive." Agreement echoed up and down the table.

Aurora smirked a little, and turned to look up at Rudy. In truth, it felt exhilarating to win a battle of wills with Bellatrix Black.

The instant she caught his eye, he saw the pride in her face. He could not help but kiss her… and she threw everything into kissing him back.

Under the cover of the whoops and yells and clapping around them, Rudy bent down to whisper in her ear. "Starting fights, public make-outs… maybe you do deserve a spanking…"

"You couldn't pull it off, you big softy."

"Suit yourself…"

"Maybe I'll spank you instead," she said, flicking Rudy hard on the back of his neck.

Rudy slid an arm around her waist and smiled.

* * *

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	28. But in Dreams

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 28

* * *

"I want you to teach me how to dance."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"You already know how. They taught you at that finishing school I thought?"

"Not with a male lead. I want to get accustomed to you…"

Aurora held her arms up as if with an invisible dance partner and did a simple four-count waltz step. Rudy watched from where he was sprawled across the couch, study material in his lap. Their winter clothing was spread out across the gate of the fireplace, drying under the steady warmth and the window sang with the song of another blizzard. The entire castle creaked and groaned under the pressure of the wind and the snow grew higher and higher outside, covering the trodden snow from the earlier snowball fight. Rudy smiled to himself as Aurora's waltz got more and more exaggerated, losing time to the wireless music and looking absurd. She dipped herself with a squeal and kicked up her long leg, much to Rudy's approval. She giggled and did a flamboyant spin, her hair twirling about her shoulders and her steps graceful.

"You look like birds in mating season," Rudy chuckled, shaking his head and flipping a page of his book.

"Mating season it is not," Aurora snickered. "But I sure feel like it is."

She caught Rudy's eyes and gave him a coy smile, which he returned.

"I know you can dance better than that," Rudy replied smoothly. "You're not even trying."

"Show me!" Aurora insisted, grabbing his hand and yanking him off the couch. "This bird wants her mate to fly with her."

"Just as long as she doesn't try jumping him," Rudy said under his breath, tossing the book onto the couch and taking a few steps with her to the center of the room.

With a flick of her wand and a delighted little squeal, Aurora moved the couch and desk as far back as they would go so they had a few more feet of dancing space. Then she turned to Rudy and fingered his tie, lying around his neck undone and looking very attractive. She gave it a slight tug and pressed herself up against him.

"Jumping! Jumping!" Rudy took a step back and pointed at her accusingly. "See? You don't want to dance at all!"

Aurora laughed and crossed her arms. "Rodolphus Lestrange, you'll be the first man ever to step away from his girlfriend when she's flirting."

"That's because I know my girlfriend and what she's capable of. And I cannot do what we did the other night and get up in time for my exam tomorrow!" He closed the gap between them and held his arms open to her. "Now do you want to dance or have sex? If it's the latter, I'm afraid I'll have to decline and go back to studying."

Aurora laughed again and put herself in his arms easily, taking the classic waltz stance.

"Studying over sex…even I am not so self-controlled."

Rudy grinned and waited for the wireless to play another song with a steady beat and looking into Aurora's eyes, he didn't even have to say anything and they both stepped in time with each other. Rudy was surprised and even Aurora looked impressed that she had gotten it right on her first try. Her cheeks reddened a bit.

"See? You don't need to be taught," Rudy assured her quietly but she shook her head, feeling his movements to direct her where to go next.

"That was luck," She answered sheepishly. "I am good at a lot of things…dancing is not one of them."

"Nah…" Rudy spun her out of the way of the desk and pulled her back into a steady step, confidently leading this simple dance. "You're doing great. Ready…and…"

He pulled on one arm, Aurora spun out and he did opposite, both meeting in the center again and stepping right back into it. Aurora faltered only slightly, and her cheeks colored again, but Rudy smiled down at her, assuring her she was doing it right.

"It's almost as scary as singing," Aurora breathed as they moved about the room steadily. She could smell him when he held her this close and she loved how sure he was of every step he took. It was as if he had danced to this song, with this exact combination, a thousand times already. As if he had predetermined her question and had stayed up all night practicing. Aurora knew, however, that he was just a naturally gifted dancer and that with years of training under his belt it came as easily as writing.

"I bet you have a beautiful voice too," Rudy said, ending the song with a simple dip and kissing her lips softly before pulling her up. "Such attractive lips would not let something unattractive escape."

They both laughed quietly and Rudy removed his wand from his pocket, pointing it at the wireless.

"I think we need something more upbeat."

The music changed suddenly and salsa was playing, putting a smile on Aurora's face.

"I want you in all black and a fedora," Aurora poked him playfully.

"And you, my fox, in a little red number," Rudy caught her hand playing once again with his tie and spun her.

She laughed and spun freely, watching as he stepped into the rhythm of one-two-cha-cha-cha and swayed his hips lightly. She found herself surprised that a man of such a build could move as smooth as he did, but Rudy made it look effortless.

"Come on! What are you waiting for?" Rudy asked, snapping his fingers to the song and bobbing his head, enjoying himself.

"I'm a bit embarrassed," Aurora confessed. "That you can shake your hips better than I."

Rudy laughed loudly and held out his hands to her, "Come on Sinistra. I've seen that ass and I know what it's capable of."

Aurora blushed furiously, but took his hands, trying to focus instead on her feet and less on her hips. Rudy continued to cha-cha whilst holding her hands, and eventually the step came easier for her and she was able to relax into it.

"That's it," Rudy coaxed. "Swing those Circe-given hips…"

He grinned at her and she grinned back, both stepping sexily and swaying in time with each other. A few passes, tucks, and dips later, the song ended and Rudy ran a hand through his hair before loosening a few more buttons.

"It's getting hot in here!" He exclaimed and Aurora nodded.

"Apologies," She teased. "I know my ass turns you on."

Just to prove her point she turned and did a sexy little grind against him, raising her hands over her head and looking at him over her shoulder. Rudy grunted and placed his hands around her waist as she continued to grind and sway against him, up and down and in some of the most dangerous of places.

"THAT is hot." Rudy confirmed when Aurora giggled and got off of him.

"Too bad it's moves like that, that are prohibited at school dances," She joked, tucking some hair behind her ear. "And now we know why, eh London?"

It was Rudy's turn to gain some color in his cheeks, which he tried to cover with a cocky smirk and a quick move to sit on the couch. Aurora laughed all the harder and grabbed his hand to stop him.

"I'm kidding love!" She said from behind her hand, her eyes alight. "One more dance?"

"As long as it's not a lap dance," Rudy said firmly, though really he thought the idea sounded more than appealing.

"Maybe for your birthday."

Rudy wrapped his arms around her and let a simple slow song pick up on the wireless after that fiery cha-cha. Aurora leaned into him and he tucked their hands in close to them, gazing down at her big blue eyes.

"I thought I was getting leather for my birthday?"

"I can make the two coincide…"

Rudy raised his eyebrows and Aurora kept a serious face. Suddenly, he couldn't wait until it was his birthday.

The song finished, silence brushing like a breath of wind over the two lovers before another song picked up. Rudy disengaged one of his hands from Aurora's and pointed it at the wireless, and that song, too, faded. Her arm had gone around him, without his hand to hold, and still she rested her head on his shoulder.

Aurora still danced against him dreamily, her face so soft and so… what was the word for it, Rudy asked himself. Was it peace? Love shone from her eyes, eyes like none Rudy had ever seen before, looking at him as he had never been looked at before. He felt a warm swell of contentment surge through him too. The simple peace that comes from sharing a soft, quiet moment with your beloved, Rudy thought.

"We should get ready for bed," he said slowly, disengaging himself. How he wanted to hold back the words. He hated his voice for a moment, hated that there was life beyond this little tower room, with the snow falling outside and Aurora's breath so near to his.

"If only there weren't exams," Aurora sighed, but there was no real complaint in her voice. Part of her was still standing there with Rudy, for that last dance. Their minds were still wrapped around it, holding it close. This bustle was the dream.

Rudy stripped down to his underwear, cleaned his teeth with a spell, and sprawled on their couch, pulling his abandoned textbook towards him, propping it open on his chest. Aurora checked her face and teeth in a conjured mirror. She slipped into light pajamas—the room was still a bit drafty, sometimes, just like the rest of the castle, but the cold from blizzards did not penetrate through their fire and the warmth of Rudy lying next to her. Their little room was not vulnerable to such things. Cold, damp, darkness, fear… these things could not compete with the intensity of Aurora's love for Rudy, or his love for her. Not tonight. Tonight they were perfectly protected.

She made herself comfortable, lying near him, one arm draped across his chest.

"Love you," She said, closing her eyes.

"I love you too," Rudy responded, pulling her head back slightly so that he could kiss her on the forehead. "The word itself is not enough."

She kissed his chest, smiling as Rudy put an arm around her, and started to comb his hand through her hair. He was always doing that, she thought. Always with his hand in my hair and humming… she loved him for it, and let it lull her into sleep.

Rudy allowed his book to slide down onto his chest, much later that evening. He let his eyes slide closed, and his brain settle softly back into his pillow. He had done enough, and the rhythm of Aurora's breathing was so inviting. Surely it would be better to sleep than to continue to study.

* * *

It was many dreams, but one dream. It seemed that no matter how still he kept, there were several different versions of the same image to see, all floating on top of each other. The figure on the plinth kept changing, so quickly that he could not focus on any one shape. One white, one black… was the third one blue? Blue with golden hair streaming out behind…

One voice with many voices, speaking words that he did not understand… or too many words all at once for him to make any sense of them? The figure was looking at him. Flick, flick, flick between faces, too many faces, or was it no face at all?

Yes, that was it. There wasn't any face. There wasn't any voice… edges suddenly snapped into place, the whole vision coming into focus. White, much was white. White figure in a ghostly white dress standing on a stone plinth, in the middle of a field.

_Field_.

The smells and the feel of it all rushed at Rudy at once, wind blowing slightly through his hair, grass tickling his bare feet. Were those fairies, he saw, lingering in the flowers at the base of the stone?

"Visitor," said the not-voice, said the sound of several voices all at once, and the figure without a face inclined its head at Rudy. Was it curious? No, Rudy thought, looking on at her… expectant.

The words rose out of his chest with a swell, as though he spoke them from between the buttons of his shirt rather than from his mouth. "I am come to you in supplication…"

The dream shifted again. They were standing quite close to one another, now, he and this woman, but now she had several faces all staring at him simultaneously from the same face; her edges were blurred, and the clothing she wore, it was made of rough white material and light and flowers, floating around her. Ghost, he thought to himself.

"What is your wish, son of Circe?" Cool voices all coming from the same mouth… several hands in one hand, stretching their shifting fingers out to touch his face.

"I love…"

What a curious answer to give, Rudy thought, as he chest fell again, so recently swelled with the weight of the words.

Again, the figure cocked her head at him. Curiosity, this time. Her fingers without touch trailed across his face, tilted his chin up as she directed him to look above them. A beautiful tree, bark twined around bark, little reaching branches all reaching up to heaven as if to greet the sky. The sky was her father, and the tree a young girl, leaning back and laughing as she hung there, forever caught in the spin.

The tree was heavy with flowers. Tiny little white ones, with tiny white leaves, blowing as ethereally as the faces of the woman wafted in and out of focus.

"It blooms," Rudy breathed, stunned. How did he know that it was important? It hardly mattered. It took his breath away! All of nature, shimmering there, laughing above him, the earth embracing the tree with its flowers as much as the tree rose up and greeted the sky with its branches. More beauty could not have been conceived.

Again the voice spoke, but it seemed to come from the woman in front of him and the earth below him, from the sky as it swung the tree, from the stillness of the moment, from his own chest. "What is your wish, son of Circe?"

Rudy was lost in staring. He had no answer. He was captivated by the scene around him.

The woman smiled. It was never so, the first night. Only rarely did this place made such impression on the visitors that so diligently sought it... they were concerned with other things, when finally they arrived. Perhaps, by the third, this boy would remember his heart and what it had brought him here to ask, and the field, the girl, the tree and the plinth... it would all fade to nothing, compared to what weighed his soul.

There again… she looked at the boy, as he stared with a child's heart above him. Perhaps his heart had only brought him here to look, and he would spend his day here resting.

In these cases, it was always years before they found her again, and she found herself disappointed that she wouldn't see this one again tomorrow night, the night after. An unfortunate side effect of what made her love these ones so much.

She brushed his hair. His time of need was near, perhaps not so many years hence. His heart knew it, brought him here. Knew he needed to be fortified, trusted the task to her. A stunning, innocent faith, that did not even know itself.

The rare, special few. Circe liked him.

* * *

Rudy woke with a swelling breath, the beauty of his dream and the smile he had shared with the woman still filling him up, etched across the backs of his eyelids. There was no sun, yet. The darkness almost surprised Rudy. What had he been dreaming about?

Aurora, he thought. Only Aurora could wake him feeling so… happy. He brushed a hand through his hair, down her back. He could only just see her face without lifting his head. She had barely moved in sleep.

What HAD he been dreaming about? It seemed important… didn't it? He passed a hand over his face and through his hair, glanced at the clock. He was up early, by almost an hour, but he was awake. The broomshed wouldn't unlock until it was light out, but maybe a walk would job his memory.

As soon as he had assured himself that Aurora was sleeping gently and warmly enough, he slipped out of the attic and into the halls of the castle. His feet took him aimlessly past portraits, some of which twitched or spoke in their sleep, but it was quiet. Dawn was only just peeking her head through the clouds outside.

At the thought of it, Rudy rushed immediately to the window, a tide of boyish laughter swirling in him as he saw the snow piled up outside Hogwarts, and still falling! He thought back on the snow fight with Aurora, leaning there on the cold stone sill, and smiled. They'd have to find a way out into the snow again. Build a snow fort. A tunnel, and a room for themselves just like they had in Hogwarts. They'd fill it with snowballs, tunnel up, and launch a never-ending volley of them at Greg and Marcus and Higgs…

There was a calmer beauty about the scene as well, Rudy thought. The sun's first rays had only just reached this side of the castle, and with the snow falling so softly from the sky he was suddenly overwhelmed by the quiet of it. There was a hush about snow, despite the laughter it brought out of children.

He was reminded something about his dream, from earlier. What had it been? He searched the snowbanks and the trees and the gray sky leaking the barest amount of light. It had been important, or interesting, or something; so rarely he woke remembering that he had dreamed, unless it was a nightmare. It hadn't been a nightmare, he was sure, and he wanted to remember.

A voice spoke from behind him. "I always liked winter."

Rudy started and turned around, to see a disheveled Bellatrix Black leaning on the wall, her bathrobe pulled tight around her in the cold.

Rudy hadn't noticed the draft until he looked at her, and suddenly he was sorry that his feet were bare and he wore only an undershirt, only sleeping pants.

She was smaller in this morning dark, Rudy thought, and for the first time in months he did not walk by her in disgusted or raised awareness of threat… but he had no words to say.

Bellatrix walked forward and pushed her own way in front of the window, hugging herself. "Stark. Cold. I feel like magic flows through the air better when it's dry. When it gets warm again, I keep feeling like I've forgotten something… some syllable or gesture in every spell that makes my wandwork dull."

Rudy stared at her. Bellatrix? Bellatrix Black was talking about the feel of magic and how she liked winter?

"What would you know about it anyway," Bellatrix snapped suddenly, vacating the windowsill. "Everybody knows you're only good in school because your father makes you learn it all during the summer. Do you feel remedial when you miss questions the second time around?"

Rudy was strangely untouched by her words or the ferocity with which she said them. He was too shocked by the humanity she had showed. Bellatrix admitting her magic was worse in summer? Bellatrix talking about how she liked the snow?

"Don't you look at me that way, bloodstain— bloodtraitor—I know more secrets about magic than you will ever dream up! You're too stupid to even understand what I'm talking about. Too _filthy_. I always knew you were different—I just thought it was because—"

Her mouth seemed to have betrayed her again, talking freely without her permission. She stepped back from him. "Don't you come near me. Who knows what kind of diseases you can catch from her—"

She was gone in a whirlwind of bad temper, and Rudy had all but forgotten his dream. Life before Aurora surged through his memory—had Bellatrix spent as much time glancing at him, thinking of him, as he had spent glancing at her? Did she too lean out of windows and wonder?

He shook his head, spoke aloud. "Well, it hardly matters now…"

One of the portraits yawned. "Fighting with your lover, son?" He wore a black hunter's cloak, a vicious looking dog standing next to him.

"No," Rudy said slowly. "She just surprised me."

The portrait spoke as if he hadn't heard. "Well, you'll be set to rights with her again soon." The man threw his hood up over his face, and stalked away through his neighboring portraits, his dog regal and menacing at his side.

Rudy felt… fouled, somehow. He felt dirty. For a moment some long lost version of himself reared in violent self-loathing… but then it turned, and it struck out at Bellatrix. It had been her temper that had drenched him. It was she that was foul. He needed to escape the burn her hatred, as though it had marked the stone. Poison, he thought, his body revolting against the mere memory of her, standing there in the window he had stared out of himself.

He turned forcibly on the spot, padding his silent, freezing, barefoot way back through the castle. He wanted to get back up to his attic, where it was warm and snow was for games, not channeling magic. Or did he? He could hardly take comfort in the thought, now. It felt so childish to him. Stupid and silly. His heart sank. Hesitating a moment at the staircase, his father's voice snapped in his head for him to go down to the dungeons and put on some decent pressed robes.

Defiantly he strode back up towards Aurora and the attic. Stepping into the warmth, seeing her face as it rested angelic on the pillow, something within Rudy relaxed. Safe, he thought, though his feet still ached from the cold stone outside.

* * *

The air was heavy, but moist. Rain clouds were racing from the horizon where the sun set with brilliant rays of bright pink, dark purple, and billowing orange. The blackness of the clouds was hardly a competitor for so magnificent a sunset. The earth was a calm as a lamb, and it barely breathed as the waves of the lake caressed the shore lazily and barely reached the toes of Aurora, who swung her legs effortlessly over the edge of the dock. Rumors that fish would bite at her toenails, because of their silver color, prickled in the back of her mind, but the only fish she could see were little gold fish. Somehow, she knew there was no danger at this lake. She had been here hundreds of times before with her father, who liked to spend a lazy evening such as this out in his little rowboat, catching fish. But today, he would not catch any. Today, there were only gold fish and they were no threat to Aurora. Past the little school of them, and wading in the light blue pool was indeed the rowboat, but her father was not aboard. Aurora knew he had jumped into the lake to spear fish, and this did not bother her. He would turn up eventually and the boat would hardly drift, because nothing was moving anyway. It was, in it's own strange way, a completely normal evening. Dinner would be called soon.

And there was the chimes, rung by her mother, to summon the fishermen up from the lake for a dinner. Aurora bent over and picked up her astronomy books, cradling them under an arm and tossing her long hair over her shoulder. Then with a pointed look towards the woods boarding most of the lake, she yelled for her son. He had chased a toad down the dirt path with a large branch; just another pet for his already growing collection of ants and caterpillars.

"Gabriel!" Aurora's voice echoed greatly about her. "GABRIEL!"

She heard not his response, and waited patiently at the foot of the dock expecting to see his brown head bobbing through the trees, the squat toad clutched tightly in his hands. When a disturbance in the water caught her attention, Aurora glanced at the rowboat where Rudy now sat, drenched, but with a handful of gillyweed.

"Got it!" He yelled, holding it up for her to see.

"Good! Now come eat!" Aurora beckoned and he nodded, setting to his work on the boat.

"Gabriel, I'm not going to call you again!" Aurora yelled once more, starting her march up to the mansion. It used to be a quaint little French cabin, but now a giant, white pillar Victorian mansion stood before her. Aurora, though, did not enter. She took hold of the large door handle and knocked. Part of her knew this mansion well, but another part still felt stranger around here. The lake had been familiar. This mansion was not hers. Rudy was steadily bringing the boat in as Aurora waited patiently for the door to be opened…and that's when her attention was caught by a man emerging from the woods with her son in his arms. Gabriel looked just like Rudy. Long brown hair covered his eyes, despite Aurora's attempts to brush it to the side. He had broad shoulders and a sturdy chest, for a child of eight, and his lips were smirking just like his daddy…the only thing similar to Aurora were his bright blue eyes. The man carrying him now, though, was entirely Lestrange. Aurora already knew what was going to happen, and she tried to yell a warning to herself. But the Aurora she watched simply stood frozen in terror as Rostandus, Rudy's famous, violent father pointed his wand to her child's temple and uttered the most horrifying words a mother could hear.

But before the deed could be finished, she felt a strange tug at the back of her neck and the door opened, pulling her inside of the mansion where instead of a hallway, a great bar greeted her. Aurora was still crying, but now curiosity got the better of her as people in old renaissance garb meandered the place, talking loudly, but of nothing important. She grabbed the nearest wench and asked where the door was to get out, for she needed to find Rudy who was in grave danger if his father got a hold of him. But the wench promptly pointed to the bar where Rudy sat, dressed as if he had lived in this era all his life, with three wenches on his lap and a mug of ale in his hand. Aurora breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently he had been here all along. The wench gave her a pint of ale and Aurora made her way not to Rudy, but over to Severus who was sitting at a table with his potions book open in front of him. She sidled into a chair and grinned at him. They were teenagers again.

"Almost done studying?" She asked, drinking her ale.

"Almost." He replied, not looking up from his book. "Lily's coming over later though, so I have to finish it."

Aurora cringed. "Not again?"

"Well I couldn't wait for you forever, Aurora."

Aurora stood abruptly, turned to find Rudy, but he was gone. Everyone was gone. It was just her in an empty locker room. Before it even happened, she knew what was coming. One hand clasped her throat, the other roamed freely. One knee made contact with her gut, and once she was down, there was one, two, three more kicks. Aurora's voice was paralyzed though. No matter how hard she screamed, nothing would come out. The tears were there, the pain was there, but there was no sound of a scream or beg for mercy. The room was utterly silent. Even Rostandus' voice was silenced by the abyss of this room. Aurora looked up at him. He was Rudy. There was nothing different about them, except their name. Rudy gazed down at her, his wand leveled at her face and his lip quivering in distaste. He was going to kill her. Rostandus would kill her. It was Avery, and Rostandus, and Rudy…they were one, all three faces were there looking at her. Aurora didn't know whose name to add to her beg, whose hand to grip as her life flashed before her eyes. So she grabbed onto Dumbledore's hand and he placed her deftly in a chair in his office. Made her retell the whole story again and again and again, until she started to forget what had really happened. Had Rudy attacked her? That's what she had told him. Rudy attacked her.

Dumbledore handed her a brochure…to where? "Graduate school in France," He had told her. She would be whisked there immediately to begin her training and to escape Rudy. He could not harm her there…she would be safe there…

* * *

Aurora started awake, confusion clouding her thoughts for many minutes as she lay utterly rigid on the couch. Where was she? What had happened? Who was next to her? Slowly she let her wet eyes travel over the familiar body of Rudy, who was asleep comfortably all wrapped up next to her. She glanced over her other shoulder, at the clock…she had thirty minutes before she would have to get up for exams. What a dream, she thought. Bits and pieces of it started replaying before her as she pondered it, lying there still stiff and sweating under the rising winter sun and Rudy's warm breath on her shoulder. Some of it confused her…had Severus really been studying with Lily or did she just dream that…had she really met Rostandus…was Dumbledore really sending her to grad school…?

…had Rudy really attacked her?

Aurora sat up slowly and stood, stretching at the foot of the couch as she scrutinized Rudy. No, no it had been Avery that had attacked her. Rudy was her partner, her love, her boyfriend. He had kissed her, tucked her in, read her poetry and made love to her…he would not attack her…

But he had looked just like Rostandus. There was no way to tell the difference! Was it true? Did they really look that much alike? Aurora shivered and it wasn't because of the cold. Grabbing her robe, she wrapped it around herself tightly and took a pillow from the couch. Setting it against the hard wooden desk chair, she leaned into it and propped her feet against the stone wall, watching the snow outside and rethinking all the falsities in her dream. It had felt so real; so much of it had been there before her as plain as day. She could still feel the lake on her toes, the muggy air clinging to her skin…the dread of Ros carrying her son. Rudy's son…the most unlikely part of the dream, Aurora thought. And how it saddened her. He had looked so beautiful with that toad in his hands.

She wanted that. More than anything Aurora wanted that child. That life. Sitting on the dock watching Rudy fish, their child wandering aimlessly after toads…what a beautiful existence. Away from the hassle and chaos of everyday life. Away from the taunts and jeers of an unfair society. Away from the pain of people like Rostandus and Avery…Aurora wanted that life with Rudy. She wanted to take him away with her to that beautiful French cottage where they could make love late into the night on a plush fur rug, next to a burning fire, with nothing but the crickets to serenade them. She wanted that beautiful baby boy sleeping under her grandmother's quilts, tucked into his bed and staring at the stars before he slept, able to list them all. She wanted a stable family, for once, and a stable life. How she yearned for it.

Rudy shifted on the couch and grunted quietly, somewhere in his subconscious becoming aware of the fact that Aurora was no longer next to him. Aurora chewed her lip as she watched him and the dream seemed to take hold of her. Without conscious thought or logic, Aurora stood from her chair and untied the robe, taking off everything underneath it and leaving it to a pile on the floor. Pointing her wand at the fire, it grew from its smoldering ashes and crackled happily as it warmed the room. Her feet padded the floor softly as she crept up to Rudy and slid over him, removing the blanket from his strong body and softly pulling at his shorts. This woke him up and he looked at her sleepily, almost in a daze. He wondered briefly if he himself was dreaming, but then Aurora leaned over him and kissed him passionately, and with her hot breath on his face and her hair falling over him, he knew he was awake.

Instinctively his hands found their way around her waist inside the robe and his body snapped to attention as she removed him from his clothing and pressed her warm, naked form against him. He didn't have the mind to wonder why she had waked him up so early in the morning to seduce him. And the way she kissed him was different from her usual sly intentions. But whatever her reasoning, Rudy was helpless to stop the reaction his body gave and he braced himself under her, ready to let her do the work as she was the one steering this car. And she did. In the quiet hours of the morning, with only thirty minutes to spare before their alarm would go off and start the day, Aurora aroused Rudy and made love to him on the couch. She uttered not a single word, and her lips barely left his once, so that he was breathless and panting when she finished. The only time she parted from his kiss, was when she had to move to rock her hips against him harder, or drive herself onto his erection with more force to bring about their orgasms. Rudy contented himself then with her neck or pert breasts, but was often interrupted in his exploration to kiss her lips again. Something was different from how they usually shagged. He just couldn't bring himself to ask what.

When Aurora felt him fill her, the warmth and wetness consumed her and she moaned deliciously into his lips. She had wanted that—wanted so badly to feel that promise of something bigger than a simple fuck buddy. Rudy had said he was sterile, this she knew. But part of her couldn't help but hope. It was reckless. It was selfish. But Aurora wanted him. Wanted his child. Wanted to make love to him, just to feel that moment of hope enter her and give her body and soul such immense pleasure she thought she would burst. It seeped into her, dripped from her, overwhelmed and tingled the senses. Truly, it was a small and foolish hope. Aurora knew if she had not had the dreams she had, her logic would have kicked in and argued against it…but right now Rudy went back to kissing her neck and shoulders without question. And she rested against him, taking the moment just to relish the feel of him in her and the sterile semen entering her and hoping that someday, perhaps even now, she was securing her future with him, and that beautiful home, that beautiful family, would become a reality…


	29. Out with Style

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 29

* * *

Rudy swaggered into the potions classroom grinning stupidly. He looked around at the assortment of students he was among, and his stupid grin morphed into a smirk. Greg Nott shot him a look that could have killed.

Rudy composed his face and sat languidly down in his chair, sliding far down, and stretching slightly. What an excellent morning he was having. Potions—no problem. Sex before breakfast—great. Bacon and eggs and potatoes to finish… superb.

"You horny son of a bitch."

"What?" Rudy turned to see Greg glowering at him with the force of a thousand curses.

"You banged her. Right before you came here you SHAGGED Aurora in your secret hideaway—you bastard—"

"She woke ME up," Rudy replied smugly.

Greg swore under his breath, kicked out violently at the wall, and seethed down into his empty cauldron.

Rudy's eyes slid sideways and he grinned at Higgs and Parkinson. They stared stonily back at him.

Rudy rolled his eyes. "Professor, can I start my exam early?" He raised his hand and stared at Professor Slughorn.

"Oh, I'm afraid not, Rudy, you see—"

Rudy stopped paying attention to his potions master's wheezy speech-making almost immediately, forgetting the long-winded answer he was bound to get from Professor Slughorn. Parkinson and Higgs glared at him, now, almost as dirtily as Nott had.

"Oh, relax, you three," Rudy whispered, as the exams were passed out. "This is the last exam! Cheer up, will you? It'll all be over in two hours!"

It was whole minutes before Rudy's words registered in his own brain. The last exam. He flinched, as Professor Slughorn laid a test paper down in front of him, expecting the sudden movement to have come from a more sinister source. He swallowed, pulled his test paper near, and began brewing the potion.

It was a simple one, really. Not tough, but Rudy took his time, chopping roots and crushing beans slowly, dumping them into the cauldron in a forlorn sort of way. This was it. This was the next to last marker to home. The last exam… and then, the Hogwarts Express. Then home.

Home, and no Aurora. No talking about her or writing about her unless he was sure he was completely alone, with time to spare. No thinking about Aurora. No thinking, period. No magic. Suddenly, the cold gloom of the dungeon drenched him.

Rudy held up his wand and looked miserably at it. He loved his wand. It felt more and more like an extension of his right hand; the way it fit into his palm, the way it warmed in his hand, sometimes, the way it felt to do really tough transfiguration with his eyes half closed and every fiber of magic in him focused on the channel between his brain and his wand. Did he imagine such things, or could he feel magic leaving the palm of his hand? See it as it emerged, invisible, from his wand? The way that the best spell casting was always done with his hand loose around the handle, as though prompting the wand to come to life and breathe the spell… you had to hold a new spell gently, like an infant...

_No wand_.

Rudy's wand breathed with him. Nothing had ever made him surer of his talent as a wizard—sure, he studied with tutors all summer long, but Hogwarts knew that. And Dumbledore had said he had a flair for magic that few of their pupils did. Rudy always gave the credit to his wand.

"We understand each other," Rudy would say. His wand knew what he wanted out of the magic he poured in, was a sink for it, stored it and changed it and made it into the result that Rudy wanted. And when his wand asked for magic, Rudy gave.

The connection between Rudy and his wand was so strong that sometimes it wasn't intentional. Sometimes, despite whatever spell Rudy uttered, something different came out; sometimes, especially when he was furious over something, his wand produced magic without him at all. The older he got, the more his wand had started reacting to his mood; Rudy didn't even have to be touching it, anymore, for it to produce spells. Dumbledore had already taken his wand when every window in the transfiguration hallway had irreparably burst.

Temper. His wand had a temper, just like Rudy did, just like Rostandus did. The same blood ran through all of them. They all understood each other, Rudy thought. _That's why he takes my wand. He knows exactly what it is and how much it means to me._

At home, Rostandus rarely allowed Rudy to use his wand. Rudy carried it in public; to church, or parties, or to school, but at home… Rudy flinched, hearing the sound of the long wooden box snapping shut. It would be especially difficult to give up his wand during this break. No apparating to the post office, to post letters to Aurora; no apparition hops, to visit the library in Alexandria; no way to defend her if—

_If nothing. That's not going to happen_.

Rudy still didn't want to give up his wand. It was his only link to magic over the break—his only link to Hogwarts—his only link to Aurora.

"Rudy?" Professor Slughorn was staring at him. Rudy looked up from his cauldron, and his examination of his wand, one hand lodged in his thick hair.

"What—"

"You simply seem a bit off, my boy—need you take a trip to the hospital wing?"

"No sir," Rudy said smoothly, brushing out his hair and glancing down at his examination paper. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Professor Slughorn squinted at him, his eyeglass squeezed into the folds of his face.

"Yes, Professor, quite sure. Thank you." Rudy smiled as best he could.

Professor Slughorn strolled away, his hands behind his back, his enormous stomach pushed out before him like a barrel, brass buttons gleaming in the flickering flames of cauldrons.

Rudy stared down at his cauldron. _Take the exam. Calm your ass down and take the exam. It's like cooking with Aurora. _He smirked to himself. Nothing was quite like cooking with Aurora… but the thought had the desired effect. Thus shaken out of his reverie, Rudy took a deep breath and began to cover his roots and beans with water.

* * *

Rudy's hello was muffled, when it finally made it out of his mouth. Aurora had jumped on him in the hallway, bounding off of the staircase a few steps up.

"IT'S OVER!" She squealed. "No more studying!"

Rudy held onto her flawlessly, lifting her off of the ground, buried his face in her smell. Everything about her was intoxicating. It felt good to enjoy the end of exams, just because she did—good to want to be jumped on, just because she wanted to jump.

"Aren't you excited? I love it when exams are over—" She planted a loud kiss on his forehead, beaming at him with her legs wrapped around his waist.

"DETENTION!" Wheezed Filch, as he came limping down the hallway. "Public displays of affection are against school rules—"

"And you," Rudy said, dropping Aurora back onto the floor, "Are a janitor, and can't take points away from anyone." He smiled coldly, and Filch immediately backed away. "Though he is right," Rudy said. "PUBLIC displays of affection aren't allowed, but…" He smirked down at Aurora.

"Watch it, you," she said, and poked him in the chest.

"Have I asked for ANYTHING recently? No!" Rudy pulled her close and attempted a kiss, but she dodged it.

"Exactly. Instead, you have been lying around farting in your sleep instead of paying any attention to ME. Why should I be paying attention to YOU?"

"Ah, because it's mutually beneficial… and I don't fart in my sleep."

"Yes you do. And it smells like a camel, which is saying something. You've woken me before."

"I HAVE NOT!"

"Yes, you're right," Aurora said. "I just made that up." She grinned mischievously at him, and leaned up to whisper in his ear. "Most of the time, I wake up… and get lost in the smell of a god."

"I thought it was London?"

"London reeks. I thought your scent deserved a better namesake."

Rudy flung her around and pinned her against the wall, giving her a fierce kiss.

"RUDY!" A body plowed into the kissing couple, breaking them apart. Rudy shortly found himself face to face with a very angry Frenchman, and a woman's nails digging into his back.

He faced forward. "Ah, bonjour?"

The nails tightened and Rudy turned around to detach Narcissa's talons from his flesh. She looked frantic. "TELL HIM HE CAN'T!"

"Tell him he can't what, Narcissa—"

The frenchman attempted to insert himself between Rudy and Narcissa. "She does not want me to come!"

Aurora met Narcissa's eyes. She was pleading, her hair mussed, her eyes big.

"Um," Rudy said, pushing the Frenchman away from Narcissa, sharing a glance with her. "Come to the party tonight? You can't. It's Hogwarts only." The handsome, blonde Beauxbaton glared at him.

"And why is zat? I thought zat the point of this tournament was—"

"And the point of this party is for Hogwarts to celebrate with its own. Go be French with your people." Rudy's eyebrows shot down into a line, and he glared at Narcissa's lost date, who simply sneered and walked away shortly after.

"Wow, Rudy, that was hot—"

"Aurora," Rudy sighed, exasperated, as he turned around to extract Narcissa's nails from his back. Again.

"Seriously!" Aurora said, brushing her hand over his ass as Rudy checked out Narcissa.

"Are you okay?" He asked, rarely having seen her so rattled.

"Yes!" Narcissa anxiously ran her hands through her hair. "I didn't want him to run into that Durmstrang tonight—"

"So I figured," Rudy responded, knowing that the anonymous Durmstrang was really Lucius Malfoy. "Do you even know that Beauxbaton's name?"

"Um, Charles, I think." Narcissa turned a little pink.

"Um Charles I think," Rudy repeated. Narcissa never ceased to astound him. One day, the boy was going to start out as Um Clean I Think, and be found out for his diseases only when it was too late. "What does Lucius think of Mssr. Um Charles?"

Narcissa gaped at him. "You wouldn't."

"You know what I want in exchange for that rescue?"

Narcissa's eyes watered slightly. She truly looked heart-breakingly pitiable, but Rudy didn't buy a moment of it. "I want you to dress Aurora for the party tonight. Flawlessly."

Narcissa squealed. "I NEVER get her in nice clothes—this means you have to wear them, mon belle cherie…"

Aurora glared at Rudy. "Why do I have to dress up for some silly party?"

Rudy smirked at her. "Because I said so." Slowly, he glanced between Narcissa and Aurora, and the smirk grew into a mischievous half smile. "Aurora, will you excuse us for a second?"

Aurora's face filled with color. "What? Why? I want to know what you're asking me to wear—"

"It's nothing to do with the party, I just want to talk to Narcissa for a moment, about your Christmas present."

Aurora stubbornly stood her ground.

"GO," Rudy said, and pointed towards the staircase. Aurora, resolute in her contrariness, stomped off down the corridor instead of up the stairs.

Narcissa crossed her arms and looked Rudy over. "Now what are you planning…"

"I have a couple of favors to ask," Rudy said, and held up a single finger. "Number one…"

* * *

"This is ridiculous," Aurora whined as Cissy tugged her through the high fashion streets of London.

"No, YOU'RE being ridiculous," Cissy huffed as she glanced up at shop signs as they passed. "You're acting like I'm taking you to prison."

"You may as well be!" Aurora replied, grimacing at all the expensive, high-class windows full of clothing. How she hated shopping. "Can't we just look in my closet for something to wear?"

"You don't HAVE anything in your closet."

"Yes I do!"

"Not for parties like this!"

"What about my white—"

"White is not a winter color."

"Okay what about my black—"

"Too formal."

Aurora shook her head, snow melting in her hair and crunching under her boots. The weather had lessened, but it still snowed softly around him. There weren't a ton of shoppers out today, thank goodness. Aurora hated them more than the actual shopping process. The more people, the longer the lines to check out or get a dressing room. Dressing rooms…Aurora groaned. The long hours spent sitting outside the door, waiting for her mother to try on outfit after outfit, only to then stand in front of a mirror and debate uselessly out loud for minutes on end. It didn't matter what Aurora would say, she already had her mind made up. She just had to talk about it. She and every one else. A dressing room was like a really bad lecture hall, or a court room. Everyone talks and tries to convince themselves or their partner of one outfit, when you know they already have their mind made up. Aurora hated it. It seemed so pointless. If you know what you want, try it on for size, and then buy it and leave. And what was the point of going store to store to buy all the accessories? Aurora could always find everything at one store. Spending an entire day searching seemed ludicrous to her.

Cissy, however, had turned shopping into an art. She followed the usual annoyances that every customer did, but Aurora was still impressed by her knowledge of the matter. She knew exactly where every store was, who was having the sales and who had gotten in their newest winter line of clothing. The best shoes were over there, the best jackets two down to the left. Across the street with the pink sign had fabulous lingerie, but if you wanted comfortable night wear, go a block over next to the purse factory. Cissy was also a pro at picking through everything in the store and finding you a heaping pile of clothes in the same amount of time it took a regular shopper to get a pile of clothes off only a few racks. Cissy knew her shopping and was at least entertaining, if nothing else. But even that did not make up for Aurora's cold nose or her empty purse as they entered the first finely furnished boutique. Aurora blinked at the large chandelier and plush red carpet. Already this shop was looking far out of her budget. And while Cissy had told her she was paying, Aurora still felt like it was her obligation to at least pitch in. She hated being the charity on every shopping spree, and as far as she was concerned this was the most ridiculous shopping spree she had been on. She had plenty of nice clothes back in the castle! Why had Rudy put her up to this when he KNEW Aurora hated shopping and KNEW she was poorer than dirt?

Cissy greeted the owner of the store, Kaarin, with air-blown kisses and immediately starting filing through the first rack of clothing. Aurora waved feebly and introduced herself. Kaarin, a stiffly thin woman with a wave of brown hair hanging down her back regarded her with a courteous nod. Aurora got the impression her clothes were being scrutinized as she searched, so she stuck closer to Cissy who always looked like a million galleons.

"Let me know if you see something you like," Cissy said under her breath, her focus now entirely on pulling out different shirts, blouses, jackets, and tanks for Aurora with graceful swipes of her arm.

Aurora pinched the price tag of a shirt and frowned. "Anything that costs less than my combined textbook bill."

Cissy laughed, but Aurora had been entirely serious. These prices were out of this world.

By the time Aurora finished one rack of shirts, failing to pick out a single one for herself, Cissy had already covered half the store. Kaarin was keeping her picks on a separate rolling closet in back where Aurora would soon be shuffled off to, to try on the items. The dressing room was nothing short of impressive—a giant crescent room with another chandelier in the middle and the large oak doors of the rooms circling a giant mirror pillar in the middle. The ceiling there was mirror, and all spaces between the dressing rooms were mirrors. Aurora never thought it'd be possible to get tired of looking at yourself.

"Come on Aura Belle," Cissy called, having handed an even larger assortment of skirts, pants, and more shirts to Kaarin to hang up for Aurora. "Time to try these things on!"

"What is the occasion, Miss Black?" Kaarin asked as Cissy adjusted her hair in the mirror.

"End of exam house parties," Cissy explained nonchalantly. "I'm wearing the shirt I bought here at the beginning of the year. Do you remember? The leopard print one."

"Indeed I do, Miss Black. You will look stunning."

Aurora thought Kaarin's voice was hardly endowed with the enthusiasm to make her sound convincing, but figured she was probably only polite for the money Cissy would bring in. Cissy took a few hangers and handed them to Aurora, pushing her towards the first big oak door with a smile.

"Make sure you come out and show me what they look like!" She said, flopping down in a large plush chair as Aurora shut the door behind her and started the grueling task of dressing and undressing a thousand different items.

At first Aurora was very good about showing each selection to Cissy and Kaarin, who had nothing better to do than stand in the corner and scrutinize with a tight face. But after nearly thirty minutes of having to debate every outfit with Cissy, she changed tactic and only tried on the ones she knew she liked. This made the process go slightly faster, but in the end they could not decide upon a top, and settled on a pair of ungodly tight, midnight dark jeans that Aurora had protested against. But since Cissy was paying, she could hardly change her mind when she handed them to Kaarin and told her to ring them up. Aurora rolled her eyes and wondered how she'd sit or breathe during the parties, let alone breathe. They were flattering to her long legs, yes, but they severely restricted her movement as well. With a sleek black bag in hand, the two ladies set out to the next store where Cissy was determined to find Aurora a suitable top. According to the Black heiress, they still had so much left to do. After the top they had to find shoes and jewelry. And then it was off to the spa so Cissy could get her nails done and a facial before Christmas break. Aurora thought this all seemed unnecessary, but Cissy insisted. She also decided last minute that a hair cut was in order for the both of them, and Aurora was helpless to change her mind. So much for getting this done with quickly, Aurora thought grimly as they entered the next shop where a thin and flamboyant man greeted them.

His name was Mason and by the dramatic hand gestures, bleached hair spiked perfectly, and eyeliner applied around the eyes, Aurora knew she was in for a treat. He embraced Cissy with a kiss to each cheek and set about what Aurora figured was his usual list of compliments—the hair, the outfit, the shoes, and "Oh my Merlin, that WEATHER!"

When he saw Aurora he did a once over on her outfit and tapped a finger against his lips, making a soft "tsk" sound. His nails were perfect, Aurora noticed.

"This is Aurora, a friend of mine from school," Cissy introduced. "She's never shopped this side of London before, so I'm treating her to a new outfit for our house parties tonight, by special request of her boyfriend."

Aurora didn't know who squealed more, Cissy or Mason, but they both grinned like idiots while gossiping about Aurora's boyfriend. She stuck out her hand to meet Mason, but he immediately embraced her like Cissy, with a kiss to each cheek, and then failed to mention any compliment, save one about her eyes.

"Stunning blue eyes!" He gasped. "I bet your boy is just mesmerized by those little gems, isn't he?"

"It's Rodolphus Lestrange," Cissy chirped, and Aurora thought Mason almost fell over at this revelation, for his eyes certainly grew thrice in size.

"The eldest Lestrange boy? The one who plays Quidditch?" Mason shook Cissy's arm as if this was the biggest news he had heard in a long time. "The, dare I say, sexy male model Lestrange?"

The two giggled and Aurora felt her cheeks flush.

"Yes, that's the one!" Cissy beamed proudly and Mason regarded Aurora with a whole new light, although there was no escaping the disbelief on his face. Aurora figured he probably had trouble imagining such a poor looking girl hooking up with the "sexy male model." As far as she could tell, Mason himself looked like the type to hook up with Rudy and she felt awkward for a moment as he ushered herself and Narcissa inside to start picking out clothes.

"We already found some dark, skinny jeans," Cissy explained as she and Mason tore the store apart finding tops for Aurora. "We just need a sexy little top to go with them…"

"Yes, yes…I know what you're thinking…silk, flowing…not overpowering her eyes and long legs, but drawing attention to her so those features are noticed."

"Exactly. Something darker in color to go with the wash of the jeans…"

"Low front?" Mason looked at Aurora and held up a low cut blouse. His eyes lingered on her breasts for a moment and then he shook his head. "No, no low front. Not enough to fill it."

"Jee, thanks…"Aurora mumbled under her breath and Cissy giggled.

"Maybe a low back then?"

"Yes, brilliant. This is why I come to you, Mason..."

Aurora meandered over to a shelf of shoes and started looking at all the gorgeous, but outrageously expensive shoes. She picked up a black stiletto with an open toe and fingered it gingerly. She could see herself wearing these, even though the price was beyond her. Carefully she replaced it on the shelf but not before Cissy caught her.

"Aren't those to DIE for Aura Belle?" She asked from across the store. "You should try them on!"

"No, that's okay," Aurora said quickly. "They aren't my style really…"

"Nonsense, you are trying them on with the skinny jeans!" Mason snipped and Aurora obediently found the size for her and stood awkwardly as she awaited the two die-hard shoppers to finish scavenging.

Another hour of trying on tops went by and with only one top to go, Aurora decided whether it looked good or not, she was picking one and calling it quits. Her feet hurt from the shoes she had on and her jeans were again cutting of circulation. Tying the dark purple halter around her waist and pulling the top over her head, she admired it in the mirror and then frowned. It looked like it drowned her.

"Have another one on?" Cissy's voice called from the once again overly-elegant dressing room.

"Erm…yeah…but it looks awful…"

Aurora stepped out and Cissy gasped.

"Aurora, that COLOR…this is the one. For sure."

Aurora cringed and looked into the huge mirrored wall. "I don't think so…look how loose it is! And I don't even HAVE boobs in this shirt…and the tie in back is all weird…"

"Shut up you silly girl," Mason ordered, marching forward, waving his hands about his head and snapping his fingers at the platform in the middle of the room. "Stand here. Now."

Aurora sighed and stepped up as he started picking and retying and adjusting the top as he had done with most of the other tops she had tried on. Only this time, he tied it lower, so that her entire back was exposed and cold and then took her shoulder and turned her more towards him.

"We need to fix your boobs for this shirt to work. They are so cute and little…" He said, unwrapping some pieces that looked to Aurora like bra cups. Cissy was giggling.

"He'll make you look stunning, Aura Belle. Just let him work."

Before Aurora could even respond, Mason has shoved his hand inside the side of her shirt and was groping about her boobs with one hand, trying to get her breast into the cup and sticking it in place. Aurora jerked and choked on her words, but he paid her no mind. He was too determined to get the shirt looking perfect on her, and if that meant pushing, cupping, shifting, and otherwise feeling up Aurora's boobs, then he was going to do it! Aurora stood helplessly before him as she was adjusted, glaring at Cissy with a look of loathing and embarrassment all at the same time.

"There! See? It's absolutely gorgeous on you!" Mason applauded himself, spinning Aurora in place so she could see herself in the mirror. "With the right clothes on, you have a great petite little figure!"

"See!" Cissy jumped up and ran to survey it closer. "I told you he'd make it work. Now will you remember how to do this later?"

Aurora couldn't deny that the shirt looked much better on her, now that she had been adjusted and fitted to it. But the thought of redoing all that work later before the parties scared her. She had no idea what Mason had done, and to be completely truthful, she had been too embarrassed to pay that close of attention.

"Erm…I don't know…it looks great though."

"Good! I will price you for the shoes and shirt then."

"No!" Aurora said quickly. "I don't need the shoes. I have some—"

"Price them both, Mason." Cissy cut off Aurora. "Honestly! You are so hard to shop with! Just accept that you look amazing right now and it's not a burden at all to buy a few odds and ends for you!"

Aurora sighed and looked in the mirror again. If Rudy didn't like this, she had just wasted a whole lot of someone else's money for nothing.

"If you need help with the boobs, just let me know." Cissy poked Aurora in the side. "I've had my share of shirts like this."

"Thanks, Ciss. Thanks a lot." Aurora said dryly and hoped off the platform to go change back into her winter clothes.

And expensive pair of earrings and bracelet later, Cissy lead Aurora finally into the salon where they were both treated to manicures and pedicures, facials, and haircuts. Aurora didn't get much cut, but a few layers were added to her blonde waves and with the right styling products, they had her hair looking perfect within no time. Cissy had hers trimmed quite a bit, and looked like a model when they finished. Aurora didn't know where she came up with the hairstyles that she did, but she always managed to look amazing. Her hair was still long, but it framed her face differently and was feathered instead of curled. Cissy giggled and played with it in the mirror before paying the salon and taking Aurora's manicured hand as they set out down the street again. It was near dinnertime and Aurora started to worry they wouldn't get back in time. But Cissy assured her they would and sure enough, by the time they apparated back, she had just enough time to run her bags to the attic and run back down to the Great Hall.

There, she found Rudy sitting at the Slytherin table with the usual boys. Glancing around for Charles, Cissy had already found her place with Lucius. He ogled her hair and was kissing her neck in between ogles, and Cissy didn't look at all put out by the attention she was getting for her new haircut. Aurora slid in next to Rudy and smiled at the others as they greeted her between mouthfuls of the huge dinner. Truly it was a feast. There was hardly room on the table for her plate and goblet, and the chatter was considerably quieter than usual, since everyone was so focused on eating instead. The end of exam feast was always something the kids looked forward too. Christmas was big, with the house colors and fir trees everywhere, and the food was cooked in great abundance. All the favorite meals of the year were presented as a last sort of "hurrah" to the kids for finishing out the first semester. Aurora started piling her plate high with meats and potatoes, vegetables and breads with cheese. She found her newly groomed and polished nails were making it a bit harder to steer the forks and spoons and Rudy glanced over at her curiously.

"You were gone an awfully long time." He said, chewing contently and resting his leg against hers.

"I hate shopping."

Rudy laughed and set his fork down to squeeze her knee under the table.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad, was it?"

Aurora shook her head and took a large bite of mashed potatoes. "I was felt up by a gay man, and memorized by a woman who makes storks look like nimble creatures. And to top that off, I had to sit in a salon where I nearly asphyxiated with all the fumes of nail polish, shampoo, soaps and oils…"

Rudy laughed harder. "Such a hard life."

Aurora pursed her lips and shook her head at him. He clearly didn't understand.

"Did you find something to wear at least?" Rudy asked, returning to his food.

"Wear? Or suffocate in?" Came the sarcastic response. "I feel so bad, making Cissy pay for all of that…"

"Don't." Rudy said seriously. "It's not a big deal."

"Easy for you to say, mister moneybags," Aurora sighed into a bite of roast beef. "I can't even contribute on things like this. I feel like such a burden and Cissy is always spending her money on me…"

"I paid for it. And you're not a burden." Rudy regarded her with calm eyes. "Now chin up. This is our last night together for a while. I want to see you smiling."

Aurora looked up at him in astonishment. "…you paid for it?"

Rudy nodded and took a sip of milk from his goblet.

Aurora blinked at him a few times and then smiled quietly.

"Thank you, Rudy."

He grinned sideways at her. How he loved hearing his name escape those lips.

Aurora leaned up and pecked him on the scruffy cheek, giving his arm a loving squeeze as she did so and returning to her food with a lighter heart. When dinner had finished Rudy and Aurora walked hand and hand out of the dining hall, he conversing with Nott and she yelling over her shoulder to a few Ravenclaw girls who were asking about the party tonight.

"Rudy," She tugged his hand gently when he finished up with Nott. "We are going to stop by Ravenclaw tonight? Not for long, I don't really have any people there who need me to stay…but I should make an appearance."

He nodded. "Of course Starshine."

She smiled as he kissed her forehead and led her back up to the attic, breaking off from the other students who rushed to their room to get dressed for the night. Up in their quiet attic, Rudy put on the wireless and started a new fire, while Aurora lit the candles to give them more light. Neither said much, both enjoying the quiet after the busy dinner, and both relishing in the intimacy of their room. The snow had started picking up outside again and the wind made music with the crackle of the fire. Aurora took her new belongings and went behind an accumulation of boxes where she had made herself a sort of walk in closet. She had tired of all her stuff simply lying everywhere, so with some clever stacking and maneuvering, she had arranged a side room for herself that Rudy never bothered to explore. She kept her chest and clothes there, and he had no need to venture further. But just to be sure, Aurora warned him not to find her until she was ready. He grinned excitedly and promised, and watched her as she disappeared behind the boxes to get dressed and then set about dressing himself.

Aurora sucked in a sharp breath as she pulled on the tight jeans and realized bending down to pick up the other pieces was a chore. The shoes would go on last, but the shirt took her forever to get on. With only a small mirror now, Aurora struggled to adjust herself and the odd cling-on bra that Mason had given her. After many failed attempts and many curse words, Aurora settled with what she had accomplished and decided it looked just as good as Mason had made it look…and even if it wasn't, it was close enough. For her hair, Aurora simply ran her wand through it a few times, the new layers giving it more curl and body already and with some added height to the top, she pinned a few strands back and let the rest lay loose around her shoulders. Her make-up was simple, but she smudged some gray eye shadow around her eyes with a hint of silver under eyeliner, making her blue eyes pop out and giving her a very sensual look. It had been Cissy's suggestion, and since Aurora had seen her do it to herself a few times, she figured there was no harm in trying. And as she admired the work in the small mirror, she impressed even herself. Next, the chandelier earrings and the thick silver bracelet were added and then her slim feet slipped into the shoes. With a final check that she had not forgotten anything, Aurora called for Rudy quietly.

* * *

"Are you ready?" She asked.

Rudy was sitting back on the couch, fedora pulled slightly over one eye and blazer unbuttoned as he watched the snow and hummed along to the wireless.

"Been ready, babe. Let's see it."

His voice sounded cockier just in his sharp attire.

Aurora took a deep breath, or tried to but failed because of the jeans, and took a few steps out to face him. Rudy's eyes widened and traveled slowly up the length of her long, slim legs, over the purple silk and to her dusty eyes that searched him for approval. Aurora herself was taken with how stunning Rudy looked in his black blazer and tee, a matching fedora masking the thick locks of hair and casual jeans giving it the perfect evening look.

"My, don't you look like the sexiest stretch of London I've ever seen."

Rudy stood slowly. "Turn around."

Aurora did so, feeling naked when she knew his eyes could so easily see her entire back. _Such an odd feeling_, she thought, _for a person who has seen you completely naked already…_

"Aura… you are dazzling." Rudy stared at her with an odd sort of smile. He extended his hand, at the last moment sweeping off his hat and bowing. Aurora took it, smiling slightly, and Rudy swept her into a light dance.

"I'm glad Cissy didn't overdo it. You look fantastic. I was worried she might turn you into… you know… her…"

"What's wrong with Cissa?"

"She's not you," Rudy said, and grinned.

The wireless seemed to come on of its own accord, trumpets and deep bass echoing around the room. Rudy smirked, swiped his fedora from a box where it lay, and pulled Aurora into a tight frame.

"Remember what I taught you—keep a strong arm," Rudy reminded her, and he proceeded to swing her around the room.

Aurora felt a bit awkward at first. Moving in the tight jeans was difficult, but the more she moved, the more they seemed to slide. The shoes made her feel overly tall, but Rudy was still taller than she was; they made her steps awkward, but her legs seemed to root into them, after awhile, and the dance came more easily to her. She kept looking down to check that her shirt wasn't falling too far forward, but it always seemed to hold just where it was meant to, as though it were enchanted to hug her form perfectly. Perhaps it was.

Rudy spun her away from him, and pulled her quickly back, dipping her down with his hand on the bare skin of her shoulder as he pulled her back up. Aurora chilled, and stumbled at the touch. She'd almost forgotten she was only wearing half a shirt.

Rudy spun her into his arms and smiled, kissing her gently on the forehead.

"You have a beautiful back," Rudy said, running his hand down her spine.

"I'm only showing it off for you," Aurora replied.

"You don't feel beautiful?"

"The only person whose opinion I care for is staring at me from under a fedora. And quite honestly, he could have whatever opinion he wanted and I'd still swoon over him."

"Swoon?" Rudy grinned.

"Swoon," Aurora confirmed.

Rudy let his fingers graze her back, again. "I will be the envy of many a man tonight," he said. "Perhaps the envy of Circe, that I entertain your company, and she does not." Rudy brushed lock of Aurora's hair back, and lost himself in looking at her again… she seemed to stare out at him all the more intensely for the trappings Cissa had dressed her in. Aurora raised a single eyebrow… and Rudy blushed. Surprised by his sudden awkwardness, Rudy laughed at himself slightly, and held out his arm.

"Careful there, heretic," Aurora warned playfully, shouldering her new bag and taking Rudy's arm.

"Traitor, heretic… since when have I cared? I have you. That's enough."

Aurora grinned and stepped closer to Rudy, hugging his arm in hers.

* * *

Ravenclaw tower was silent when Rudy and Aurora entered through the door, after explaining that a sphinx would answer a question only with another question. The room was dark around the edges, all the light channeled towards two groups of students in the center of the room, facing each other. They were wearing armor... and they looked fierce. What kind of a fight was happening in Ravenclaw?

Rudy looked curiously at Aurora, but she simply turned her sharp eyes across the room, and pointed up towards the balcony. "He's lost both his knights already…"

Rudy looked up, to see two students, clad in jet black armor, looking down at the scene below, now clearly a chessboard. One of them held his helmet in his hands in front of him, listening as his partner whispered excitedly to him.

"Ravenclaw chess finals," Aurora whispered.

"Craig, move up one and ask the pawn about Herbology."

A boy Rudy didn't recognize, clad in simple white robes, stepped forward slightly and announced his question to the common room.

"Which other plant will the Venemous Tentacula always attack?"

There was a pause. "Devil's Snare," came the response. "Especially whilst the Snare is flowering. It's self defense, really; Devil's Snare thinks that the Tentacula is alive, because of its constant movement, and will attempt strangulation. However, tentaculous venom is toxic to most other living creatures, and unless the Tentacula has recently gorged and spent its available venom supply, the Tentacula almost always wins."

"CORRECT," came a voice from above. Rudy looked up to see the male Ravenclaw prefect, clad elegantly in blue and bronze. The black pawn—a young girl, with wispy brown hair and lots of freckles—grinned as the white boy made his way through her fellow chess pieces, and up the stairs. He leaned on the rail, squinting down at the board.

Rudy and Aurora watched the game for a moment, some of Aurora's friends approaching them and whispering excitedly about the match thus far. White was of course winning, but Black was starting to hold their own…

"It's underclassmen versus upperclassmen," Aurora whispered to Rudy. "Come on—I need to go and put a question in for white, then we can go."

Aurora strode over to the chessboard, and tugged on the white queen's sleeve. "Lisla…" The queen bent down and Aurora whispered in her ear. They smiled at each other, and the queen turned back to the game, whispering something to the king. She glanced over her shoulder again, and pointed at Aurora's shoes, smiling.

Aurora rolled her eyes, but smiled. "I never pay attention to the chess finals. I'm terrible at chess."

Rudy laughed. "There's not a warring bone in your body, that's why."

A few people glared at him. Rudy scowled mocklingly back and led Aurora back out the doors.

"Serious bunch, aren't you?" Rudy asked as they exited, smirking down at Aurora. "It's just a game of chess, not like you're really going to be crowned, or anything, at the end..."

"Oh, DAMN!" Aurora turned and knocked on the door again.

"What?" But Aurora was already gone, flitting back into the common room. Rudy peeked back in after her, catching the door before it swung shut, but Aurora was already coming back out. "What was that all about?"

"I put a crown of stars on Rowena's statue. It's tradition. Supposedly, the diadem is locked inside the statue. If you can guess what it's made of, the stone will melt away…"

"The what?"

"The diadem of Ravenclaw!" Aurora stared at Rudy, and then shook her head. "I can't believe it—Slytherins come looking for it every year. Famous crown, supposed to increase your brainpower—"

"OH, that thing," Rudy laughed, and strolled down the hallway, guiding Aurora with a single hand. "Load of bunk."

"That's what YOU think," Aurora said slyly, taking his arm again.

"I'm smart enough without one."

"Without it," Aurora corrected.

"Whatever you like. You ready?"

Aurora cocked her head at Rudy, some of the curled hair falling annoyingly into her face. She brushed it back. "Ready for what?"

Rudy grinned. "For a real Slytherin social gathering." He pushed on the wall, and escorted Aurora in.

* * *

They paused at the top of the short staircase, leading down into the sunken common room.

"RODOLPHUS, YOUNG MASTER LESTRANGE," boomed the colorfully dressed portrait standing near the door, "AND AURORA SINISTRA, OF THE HOUSE OF BRUSEAU."

"Come on," Rudy said gently to Aurora as she stared around the room. "We have to say hello to Bletchley, in case he didn't hear that we've come in. He'll be wanting to start soon, I bet. He's Praetor-ing, this year."

Aurora had been in the Slytherin common room several times, and even then she had thought it was opulent. The same style of elegant scrollwork from the Veloce's forks adorned every piece of wood in the room; the walls had been hung with rich green silks, an entire wall was covered in the tapestry of the royal court.

It seemed nothing to the decor that covered the room now. Most of the furniture had disappeared, but the special arrangements more than made up for the elegance lost with the couches and chairs and desks. A chandelier hung low, the light coming from a nest of fire fairies as they flitted in and out of the flames. They burned as they sank, white hot; spat out again, sparking, catching real fire, they turned black or red or orange, and dove back into the place as if they could bury themselves there, be lost forever in the deepest gray ash of the blaze. Tiny white snow fairies chased each other across the deep green garlands that decorated the walls, kicking up the snow enchanted so delicately on the needles, making it look as though the garlands had their own weather, and their own wind.

The eerie green light from the lake shone brighter than usual, reflected only by the chandelier, rather than the normal racks of torches that lit each water-covered window. Aurora could see the giant squid, as usual, lounging just barely in sight through the murk, black shadow changing as fairies dove in and out of the fire.

Specially embroidered panels had been hung on the walls, the silver Slytherin crest emblazoned on the green velvet, the snakes enchanted to slither through and around the shield, tiny silver threads of tongue flicking in and out of their mouths. Bletchley stood on the stage, his robes heavy with the weight of thread and velvet and silk. Rudy could tell he was sweating, slightly. "He looks like a priest," Aurora said quietly, striding beside Rudy.

Rudy chuckled softly. "He kind of is, today." He reached up on stage. "Praetor," he said loudly, extending his hand up to his friend, grinning.

"Ah, Rudy," Bletchley drawled, firmly shaking his hand. "We're only waiting on Higgs, now. He disappeared upstairs with some Beauxbaton some time ago… I hope he's awake."

Rudy nodded slowly. "You want somebody to go check?"

"I'd appreciate it," Bletchley said, the barest hint of a sneer in his voice. Rudy turned around. "DENTON!" He bellowed. A small boy popped out of the floor, or so it seemed, looking up at Rudy.

"Go and get Higgs out of his bedroom. If he's banging some girl, stun her, and if he complains, say we're about to replace him and he'd better change his underwear quick."

The boy blushed, but Rudy laughed, and turned back up to Bletchley. "Anything else you need from me?" Rudy smirked.

"Not just now," Bletchley said. "You could consider staying close by, as we'll start soon."

Rudy nodded, and leaned up against the stage. He put his hand on Aurora's back. "Give that to an elf," Rudy said, pushing Aurora's bag off of her shoulder. As it neared the floor, an elf scuttled over to take it graciously from Aurora's hand.

"So?" Rudy said. "Aren't you glad I made you dress out?"

Aurora nodded, her lips slightly parted in awe. She felt as though she were at one of her cousins' fabled Parisian parties. Every single body she saw was dressed in the richest, most flattering styles. Not a person she saw was out of place. Not the hurrying elves, that seemed before so foreign to have underfoot; not the more modestly dressed students, lurking in the corners; not the tables laid out so meticulously with crystal and food. The hierarchy seemed natural.

Strangest of all, Aurora thought to herself, was how natural she felt in the middle of all of it. Greg and Marcus had approached Rudy, handing him his own heavy robe. Aurora smiled at a blonde Beauxbaton nearby, and she smiled back.

"Look, here comes Higgs," Marcus drawled. "Finally."

"HIGGS," Nott bellowed over the clamor of voices, "ZIP UP YOUR PANTS!"

Higgs immediately turned to the wall to complete the action, but everyone had already noticed, and laughter flickered across the room. Higgs turned back around and made a rude hand gesture at Nott. Nott shrugged innocently, smirking.

"Aurora, you go and stand with Marcus for awhile, yeah?" Rudy winked at her, handing over his fedora, and planted a peck on her cheek. "This doesn't ever take long."

Bletchley was standing on the stage again, holding a long wooden staff in his hands. He banged it thrice on the floor.

The circular common room seemed to empty, most of its occupants retreating to the walls. Aurora followed Marcus as he went to stand with a few other fifth years. Aurora recognized Rabastan briefly, saw his eyes move over her. She felt, for the first time in ages, the same scrutinizing gaze she had before Rudy had fought with Avery in the Great Hall, so many months ago. Rabastan managed to twist his face into a smile. Aurora nodded to him, and stood back against the wall with Marcus.

Rudy flung the heavy green robe over his shoulders, and turned to face the stage with Nott, Higgins, and a few other boys. The Seventh years slowly filed onto the stage behind Bletchley.

"SEVENTH YEAR MEMBERS OF THE NOBLE AND PURE HOUSE OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN, DO YOU, AFTER INSPECTING CLOSELY THE MERIT OF THOSE STUDENTS STANDING BEFORE YOU, PRESENT THE STAVES OF ORDER TO THE CANDIDATES AS SO ASSEMBLED?"

"We do," Responded each of the seventh years in unison, each holding an ornately decorated short staff up to Bletchley, who swept his eyes down the row with a nod. He turned to Rudy and his class.

"DO YOU, SIXTH YEAR MEMBERS OF THE NOBLE AND PURE HOUSE OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN, SO SOLEMNLY SWEAR," Bletchley intoned, "UPON THE STAVES OF ORDER, TO UPHOLD THE HONOR OF THIS HOUSE AND ALL WHO HERE RESIDE?" Bletchley paused, glaring magnificently down at each of the boys.

Aurora snickered to herself. He really did look like a nasty, ancient medieval bishop.

"We do," Rudy and his friends muttered.

"Alexander Gregory Nott, please ascend."

Nott strode stoically up the few steps to the stage.

"By the power invested in me as Slytherin house praetor, appointed by my fellows to lead this house in doctrine and in ritual, do so declare that ye shall take up this noble post after my time here has passed; you shall learn all of the ways by which we uphold the honor of our house; and all the secrets it possesses. Do you accept this honor?"

Nott nodded once. "I do."

Bletchley handed him the staff. "Repeat after me," he instructed. He held his hand aloft. "SO PASS THE STAVES FROM YOUR TIME TO OURS."

Nott addressed the seventh years behind him, and repeated Bletchley's words. His lower voice seemed much more impressive as it echoed across the room.

The seventh years released the sticks from their hands, and watched as they floated down towards the sixth years, caught one by one.

Rudy smirked as he caught his.

"TURN!" Bletchley bellowed, and Rudy turned to face the remainder of the room.

"SO PRESENTED, THE CLASS OF—"

A loud cheer went up, masking the remainder of Bletchley's words. Bletchley rolled his eyes, unzipped his robe, and hissed something into the air. The robes vanished.

Rudy bounded up on the stage as the party recommenced, pounding Nott on the back. "Congratulations!"

"You weren't even here to vote," Nott said, grinning.

"Yeah, but I put it in later, didn't I!" Rudy replied. "First man among us."

"Only man for the job?" Nott quipped.

"Only man who's willing to do it," Rudy chuckled.

Nott rolled his eyes. "Now I have to carry this stupid thing around all night!"

Rudy inspected the huge wooden staff as Nott passed it over. "It is a bit less impressive than mine," Rudy quipped, holding his shorter staff up for comparison.

"What a silly stick," Aurora said, coming up behind Rudy, and aimlessly dropping his hat onto his hair. "Fortunately you were born with a better one."

Nott laughed out loud.

Drums struck up somewhere else in the common room. Rudy shrugged off his robe and laid it on the edge of the stage. "Shall we?" He held out his hand suavely to Aurora, adjusting his fedora back on his head.

"I'm not holding your shit!" Nott pushed Rudy's staff against his chest, and Rudy, smirking, shoved it aimlessly into a jacket pocket. An instant later, he had swept Aurora out into the middle of the room.

* * *

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	30. In Sorrow We Must Go

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 30

* * *

Aurora caught sight of Severus just before she was pulled into a jazzy step with Rudy, the middle of the room suddenly filling with couples from all over. Beauxbatons, Durmstrangs, and a few other out-of-house boyfriends and girlfriends clasped hands and stepped lightly to the rhythm of the jazzy music. It was difficult to tell where the music had even come from, for it sounded from all over the room, engulfing the dancers in a pool of drums, trumpet, saxophones, and bass. Rudy fit in perfectly with his fedora and blazer and he grinned out from under the rim at Aurora as they danced in the midst of other couples. He loved being able to feel her skin under his hand whenever he'd pull her in from a spin or step out, and he let it rest for the better part on the small of her back, pressing her into him. Aurora, once overwhelmed by it all, was now obliviously happy to ignore the other people, the vibrant decorations, and loud music to simply engage with Rudy. Aside from her feet hurting after a few dances, the night could not be more perfect. She adored Rudy and his content smile, the smooth way in which he guided her through every dance and into every beat that was struck up with the band. His love of dancing was all too evident.

"Careful Rudy, or you'll make the others jealous," Aurora said as they stepped together.

"Because I can dance?" He turned with her. "If they are to be jealous, let them be jealous over my dance partner. For she is a vision…"

He dipped her and snapped her back up, watching her body move and fold like obedient putty in his arms. When she looked at him again though, her eyes were unmistakably frowning at him and he regarded her curiously.

"What's wrong?"

"What am I going to do without you for a whole month?" Aurora asked quietly.

Rudy shook his head. "Not now. I don't want to think about it."

They did a bridge and Aurora squealed, pulling away quickly.

"What?" Rudy asked in alarm, and Aurora laughed, her arms folded over herself.

"I thought for a minute I had fallen out of my shirt!" She continued to giggle in embarrassment, and Rudy smiled at her, taking her hands once again.

"Better not," He warned. "Those are for me alone."

Aurora gave him a mock glare as they continued to dance in and out of the other couples. They're voices were as light as their step, Aurora's momentary worry being replaced once again with the bliss that consumed everyone in the room. When the song ended, Aurora applauded with the others and Rudy kept an arm protectively around her, kissing her cheek lightly. Nott sidled up along side of the beaming couple and handed them each a bottle.

"Cheers!" He called before pushing his way through the crowd to find his other buddies.

Aurora looked at the bottle with an exasperated shake of her head.

"Where do you Slytherins ALWAYS come by this stuff?"

Rudy grinned and used his thumb to pop the cap off his. "We appreciate fine alcohol."

"Butterbeer?" Aurora laughed and took a swig of hers, allowing herself to be pulled up against Rudy.

Dancing became next to impossible with a beer in one hand, but they somehow managed to move with the music, talking quietly to one another and stopping off and on to converse with surrounding couples who were also having their fill of alcohol. As the night progressed, more and more butterbeer seemed to appear and more and more students became drunk. The music was changed quite suddenly from the sound of Big Band to the more rowdy rock and rap sounds of current bands. Rudy and Aurora were in a corner, laughing along with buzzed Parkinson, Bletchley, Nott and their buzzed dates when Higgins appeared at the far corner of the room, standing on a table and swinging an empty bottle.

"LET'S GET THE HEAT TURNED UP!" Higgins yelled, pointing his wand towards the stereo where the music abruptly changed. Rudy and the other men raised their glasses with loud agreement and the women flocked to the floor to start grinding and hanging on the men. Aurora shook her head and finished her bottle as the bass rung loudly in her ears and shook the floor under her. She glanced around the room as men's shirts came off and some were swung around their heads in the air. Girls kicked off their heels, and some pulled their dates to the darkest corners of the room where a different sort of grinding happened. Aurora avoided looking as much as she could.

Suddenly, Aurora's back arched and she gasped loudly to the snickers of Rudy and the boys. She turned towards Rudy who had held a fresh butterbeer against her back and hit him in the gut.

"NOT nice," She scolded and he handed her the bottle.

"I had to snap you out of your daydreams," He replied, opening a new bottle for himself as well. His smile was mischievous.

"They weren't about you anyway," Aurora sneered, drinking her own and the boys "ooh'd" at Rudy who leveled his gaze at her. They watched excitedly as Rudy studied Aurora who looked pretty damn proud of herself. Nott nudged Rudy with an evil grin.

"Oh really?" Rudy finally said, and Aurora nodded defiantly at him. "We can change that."

With that, Rudy tugged on her elbow and lead her to the dance floor, handing his butterbeer to Parkinson whose hand was exploring Daisy's back inappropriately.

"Excuse me," He huffed as he passed his buddies, who all catcalled and made crude comments as Rudy made to put Aurora in her place.

Once in the midst of the sweaty and drunk crowd Rudy pulled Aurora up against him, his hands firmly on her hips and he quite literally forced her to dance with him. She hardly tried to fight him, however, and with their legs locked around each other and one of Aurora's hands in the air with her butterbeer and the other around his neck, they started grinding slowly. Rudy's eyes found hers and he smiled seductively, aware of the envious stares they were receiving. He not only had the hottest dressed chick there, but Rudy was pretty sure his knew how to grind the best too. Where on earth Aurora Sinistra had come up with such moves was beyond him. But still in her heels and back-less shirt, Aurora was tearing up the floor with her slow, seductive grind against Rudy. And he liked it. The more they moved, the more in sync they became and the faster the other dancers disappeared. As far as either of them was concerned, it was just the two of them moving to the music. Aurora would swig her butterbeer and then hand it to Rudy to swig. One of his hands slid into her back pocket and his lips grazed her shoulder. Aurora's eyes were closed, the heat overwhelming in the stuffy dungeon room and the alcohol making the place spin. Bur Rudy was her pillar of stability and the way he moved up and down against her, his hands resting in the right places and his hips supporting hers made dancing the easiest thing to do.

When a new song came on, Aurora turned in his arms and he let one hand rest on her waist while the other scratched at her leg. His lips couldn't help but travel around her neck as she did a slow, tantalizing grind into his lap. One of her arms was hooked around his neck and her head fell back against his shoulder. She didn't even care that they were practically seducing each other in public. He felt so good…

"It's been so long that I haven't seen your face. I'm trying to be strong, but the strength I have is washing away. It won't be long before I get you by my side, and just hold you, tease you, squeeze you, tell you what's been on my mind…"

Rudy's voice was unexpected in her ear as he sang along with the music and Aurora moved more purposefully against him, taking another swig of her butterbeer and smiling up at him slyly.

"I love your voice," Aurora said, craning her neck to kiss his neck softly. His hand traveled daringly, higher up on her leg.

"I want to make love right na-na-now, I want to make love right na-na-now. Wish we never grow up right na-na-now. I want to make love right na-na-now…"

Aurora giggled, and Rudy grinned against her ear. He could feel the heat from her body, and the way her ass rubbed his lap was turning him on. But the closeness and out of body experience they were sharing, whether heightened by the alcohol or not, was such that he couldn't bring himself to break from her. At this moment, he could feel every inch of her against him, and he loved the power he had to move and grind with her, and direct her in every way. She was so damn sexy, he couldn't get over it. The shy schoolgirl he had originally kissed on the astronomy tower was gone, replaced with a sexy minx who was entirely confident with her boyfriend and self. He had brought out the confidence in her, and he was in love with it.

"I want you to fly with me, I miss how you lie with me, just wish you could dine with me, one that would grind with me."

Aurora's hand found the nape of his neck and she pushed his face down to meet hers and kissed him desperately, the words he was singing suddenly reminding her of the long vacation ahead of them. He stopped his singing to kiss her back heatedly, but their movements were not altered. Truly, they were in a different place from everyone else. The kiss explored so much more than their lips. It stretched beyond into their hopeless situation, into the long departure they would both endure. It cried over the days of living an existence like they had in the years before they had known each other. It begged for just a minute more of this bliss, of loving each other and having the other to say good night to and wake up with…it was chilling and warm all at the same time. It was a desperate kiss, but it was complete—speaking all the words neither Rudy nor Aurora wished to say out loud.

* * *

Rudy heaved a heavy, contented sigh out of his chest, wrapping his arms around Aurora as she rolled on top of him. She laid her head on his shoulder and traced the curve of his chest with her eyes.

The firelight was dying down, and their sweat was drying, at long last. Rudy ran a hand through Aurora's tangled hair, letting it rest among her curls as it hit the first snags.

He turned to kiss her head, breathing in the scent of their combined sweat. He could still taste her lips… feel her body as it pressed so gently against his, compared to the frantic lovemaking from earlier.

She lifted her head up, briefly, looking at him. She loved his soft smile, the way his face filled up with tenderness when she knew how hard it could look. Determined sneezing, the driven, clenched jaw of the last moments before he came into her… she loved that face, too, but his smile always touched her.

"What are you thinking?" Her voice was soft and lazy.

Rudy brushed the back of his fingers along her face, pausing before he answered. "If any moment could last forever, let it be this one," he said, finally. Rudy tried to hide it, but he could tell from Aurora's face that he'd failed. She was heartbroken now, too.

She laid back down and pressed her cheek to Rudy's chest. "I don't want to go…"

"Me neither, starshine."

Aurora clutched him. Closing her eyes, she focused on every possible part of him she could think of—the heat of his skin, the rise and fall of his chest, the way their legs fell into place around each other. He smelled so wonderful. Earthy and rich, salty and sweet. The feel of his arms around her, and his hands in her hair—the curve of his muscles on his skin, the feel of his scruff against her forehead. The sound of his voice when her ear was pressed to his chest.

The heartache swelled within her, pushed against the inside of her eyes as she squeezed them shut. She refused to cry in front of him. It had to be fought… she would not be weak when she knew he hated to go home himself. She had to be strong for him. _Don't make it worse, Aurora—snap out of it!_

"I'll write to you every day, starshine. Poems and news, and anything I can think of."

The feel of his speech as it made her body hum, just like his chest. "Swear you'll be faithful to me." Aurora hated herself for saying it.

Rudy hugged her close. "I swear."

Aurora kissed his chest, felt his breath rise up to meet her lips. "And you'll come back to me?" _Aurora, what are you doing…?_

"I swear."

The feel of his hand as he stroked her back, so big and so gentle. "You're all I've got, you know." Aurora didn't even know where it came from, but suddenly it was so true; nothing and nobody compared to having Rudy for her own. It was so frightening to send him away, alone. She wanted to be there, to remind him who she was every day, to love him every day as nobody else could. What if he forgot?

"Yeah," Rudy replied. He sounded so miserable. "Me too." Again, that laugh. "Your Christmas present had better be a good one," he warned. "It'll be the only one that matters."

Aurora smiled, but she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again, and she swallowed the laughter just to hold them back.

"Come here and kiss me." Aurora shot up quickly towards his mouth, kissing him as she had so many times that night. Trying to say something she couldn't, trying to hear something he wasn't saying. His hands were in her hair, he grabbed her wrists and pushed her off of him… he was lying on her, covering her, their fingers intertwined and squeezing tightly.

The kiss broke, and Rudy opened his eyes to look at his girlfriend. His Aurora was distraught. It was etched into those eyes, begging him to see it and know it, but so walled up behind something he couldn't touch. He turned to look at one pair of clasped hands, and he gripped her hand more tightly in his.

"We've got to have a little faith in ourselves," he said.

Aurora nodded. She felt strength in his words.

"Do you trust me?" Rudy sat up, and pulled her up too. They faced each other. Aurora hugged her knees, and nodded.

Rudy frowned at her, and even though Aurora screamed at herself inside her own head, even though she swallowed hard several times, even though she looked away, the first tears came spilling out. One, two, three, all at once, big tears, swells of water lapping over the levies and flooding her face. There were so many more where those came from…

"Aurora?" Dammit, did he have to call it out of her, too? She let go over her knees and wiped them away angrily.

"Hey," Rudy said, catching her face in his hand. "That's my job." Aurora turned her face towards the feel of his hand, more and more tears breaking loose as he wiped his thumb along one of her eyes. She was embarrassing herself—but somehow, all she wanted was to cry harder, cry when she could hide her face in his hand, cry when he was here to comfort her—yes, that made sense, didn't it? But if he knew she was upset… _he'd want to do something about it, _came the voice from the back of her brain. _Let him take care of you_. And then… _I don't need anybody to take care of me…_

"This is so stupid…" Aurora sniffed and wiped her nose, brushing more tears away.

"Of course it isn't. Come here." Rudy pulled her onto his lap, and held her. Aurora leaned into his shoulder, hid her face with one hand, and forced herself to stop crying. She sat up again after a moment, and smiled at him through the redness in her cheeks and nose.

"Sorry," she said. "I just really don't want to leave. I want to stay here with you forever."

"Careful," Rudy said with a smirk on his face. "I'll get cocky if you keep sweet talking me."

"Mmm," Aurora said, wiping her face again. "Just the way I like you."

Rudy grinned at her. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." She gestured at her face. "As we can see…"

"Stop worrying about it." Rudy flicked one of her knees. "Lie down with me. I want to wake up with you in my arms one more time before we go."

Aurora smiled and tucked herself against Rudy's chest, leaning close into him, listening to him hum with the weariness weighing down on her like an anvil. Soon, too soon, Rudy's hand rested in her hair, and his hum became the slow rise and fall of his chest as he slept, and Aurora spilled all the hot tears she had held back earlier into his shoulder. He could keep them all for himself, if he wanted, and she cried with abandon into his shoulder when she knew it wouldn't hurt him. When he was asleep he couldn't draw the truth out of her. Sleep sheathed the daggers of such thoughts, didn't it? How often had Aurora slept just to make them go away?

_It's everyone else I don't trust_, Aurora thought to herself. _I don't trust the real world to permit this bliss_.

Aurora cried until sleep claimed her, sliding the daggers away behind its black oblivion.

* * *

Rudy switched off the alarm and turned to look at Aurora. She hadn't even moved, although the alarm was obnoxiously loud. Rudy smiled at her as she slept, her hair falling into her face, and over her mouth. It moved with her breath, just like her breasts pushed against his arm. Her eyes still looked puffy from the night before, red around the edges. Rudy smiled softly, rubbing the sleep out of his own eyes.

He leaned back down, his head propped on one arm, to just look at her. There weren't words for it, really. Watching her sleep there, in his bed, curled close to his body heat, the sound of her last "I love you" echoing in his ears. There were not words for the way that his love swelled in his chest whenever he saw her.

He kissed her gently on the forehead and she grunted at him.

"Good morning to you…" Rudy sang, as he kissed her again, both eyes. Aurora let out a low whine. "Good morning to you…" The whine got louder. "You look like a thestral…" Aurora shoved him and fumbled for a pillow to hide her head under. "…And you smell like one too!"

Aurora couldn't help but chuckle as Rudy frantically kissed every inch of her face he could find, covered by hair or hand or pillow or not.

"Okay, okay," She consented. "I'm up."

"Good," Rudy replied, and brushing her hair aside, he kissed her full on the mouth. "I'd have hated for you to miss that because you were half asleep."

Aurora looked up at him through her eyelashes. Rudy pecked her lips again, quickly, and then stood up abruptly and stretched, flinging his arms out to face the day. A smile crept across Aurora's face, seeing him so spread out and so naked all at once, and she couldn't help that laugh either.

"You feeling okay? I monitored your butterbeer last night."

Aurora nodded. "I'm just tired," she said, pulling the blanket up around her shoulders. Rudy jerked it back off with a flick of his wand, and Aurora curled up in the cold with a small squeak.

"Come on, Starshine, or we'll miss breakfast. I'd be happy to let you go naked, but Nott would put his greedy little eyes all over you, and you know how jealous that makes me." He pinched her bare buttocks, and Aurora sat up finally herself, giving a small yawn.

"Where did my wand end up, again?" She searched the wrecked room with her tired eyes. Had they been so impassioned, yesterday? How long had it been since she'd cleaned? Surely she would not have overturned the chair, or knocked over so many stacks of paper and books…

Rudy automatically passed it her. She gave another huge yawn, and then, holding her wand in the air, she muttered "Pack!" Items from all over the room went soaring into her trunk. Rudy's hand snapped out as a small colored blur shot past him, almost hitting Aurora in the face. Items everywhere fell as Aurora's enchantment was scared into an early termination.

Rudy grinned and showed her what he had caught. A pair of Aurora's underwear was held tightly in his fist. "These are mine," he said, tucking them into a pocket. "You can have this." He searched around for a moment, and then emerged with his black shirt. "And for that matter, anything else you like. But these… these I keep." He pulled them slowly out of his pocket again and held them up to his face, breathing deeply. "Beautiful."

Aurora didn't even blush, though Rudy was sure she would. "As long as you're not wearing them yourself…" Aurora laughed and dodged away as Rudy aimed to poke her. "I want your sweater—that big orangey red one."

"That one? You hate that sweater. It's scratchy."

"I don't care," Aurora said, picking it up from its peg on the wall and pulling it aimlessly around her shoulders. "It'll make me think of you."

The shared a quiet smile, and then each when back to their packing. Their little attic room seemed so empty without the majority of their things—clothing, schoolbooks, robes, jackets, quills and shoes all disappeared from the surfaces.

"Wow," Rudy said, pulling on his shirt. "It actually looks clean." He conjured a mirror for himself, and then pointed his wand at his shirt. The wrinkles fell out of it, and waving his wand over it again, the dust siphoned away. He buttoned it all the way up to his neck.

"What are you getting all dressed up for? It's just the train."

"Parents," Rudy said, but he undid the top few buttons. "Suppose I don't see them for a few hours, though." He looked away from her and coughed into his hand. "You ready?"

Aurora slid her arm into Rudy's. "I guess," she said. Her trunk was packed, and a lot more quickly than Rudy's had been, but she hadn't done a thing with her hair, and she definitely needed a bath… but she was willing to settle for clean underpants and deodorant. Rudy's smell was on her, and she never wanted to get rid of it again.

* * *

They walked down to breakfast and ate quickly. Nott was already in his uniform robes, a bright silver snake affixed to the front. He took it off and passed it around, bragging about the praetor badge. Aurora rolled her eyes. "I thought he didn't care about that," she said quietly to Rudy.

"It's a position of power. He doesn't care what it is. It just means he gets to boss people around next year."

Aurora rolled her eyes. "He does that anyway."

"Yeah," Rudy said, "but now he has an excuse."

"Did he need one?"

Rudy laughed. "Let him brag. I've got the better badge anyway."

Aurora looked sideways at him, and Rudy smirked. "Quidditch Captain is almost guaranteed mine—"

Aurora shoved him.

"I meant you," He laughed, and slid his arm around Aurora's shoulders.

* * *

Although they had both gotten up early, and had eaten quickly at the table, they still almost missed the carriages as they went down to Hogsmeade. Aurora had frantically kissed Rudy, hadn't cared that he was getting out of control—he held her up against the wall and snogged her with everything he was worth.

The daze of making out made it easier to walk out of the castle and away from their home. They ended up with a carriage to themselves, managing to snag the groundskeeper before he led the carriage away to the stables. There was one slot left on the leaving carriage, but Rudy chivalrously volunteered to stay with Aurora. He handed her up into it, following close behind. Aurora zipped up her jacket, as the carriage began to rattle down the road towards Hogsmeade. It wasn't a long ride, but the snow was thick and falling, and it was cold. Rudy wrapped his arms around her to try and keep her warm, pulling her onto the bench between his legs.

Aurora smiled and fingered his leather gloves. "I love these on you," She said softly.

Rudy smiled. "That's right… you and the leather fetish. I'd almost forgotten. You have to go shopping for my birthday while you're in Alexandria. You owe me leather and a lapdance, remember?"

The castle itself fell almost out of sight immediately. The snow made the air hazy.

"I remember," Aurora said. "I'll bring you some really nice leather…"

"You'd better be wearing some yourself," he said. "I expect a strip tease as well."

"Greedy, are you?"

"Yes," Rudy confirmed. "Very." He was kissing her again—she couldn't ever help the way that she melted into his mouth when he kissed her…

He pulled away and smirked at her. "Very greedy."

Aurora shut her eyes and rested her head back on Rudy's shoulder, watching the snow fall.

The rest of the carriage ride seemed to pass in a blur, as did the time that was spent on the Hogwarts Express. Rudy was overtly gentlemanly, opening doors and taking her trunk and offering his hand as she walked up the stairs.

They played Exploding Snap in their car of the Hogwarts Express. Aurora surprised everyone by agreeing to play a few hands in and destroying them all, knowing their playing style. It earned her a proud smile from Rudy, and a kiss when she asked for it.

The moment for goodbyes was suddenly there and gone, Rudy's breath still lingering on her lips as she greeted her parents hello. How had her trunk made it off of the train? Had that been Rudy, too?

"Aura Belle? Are you okay?" Her father's hand was on her shoulder, looking into her face.

"Yes," Aurora replied, straightening up and refocusing.

"Ah," sighed her mother. "She misses him already." Her mother swooped in and pecked her on the cheek. "Young love. Come—we'll have some chocolate."

Aurora began to walk away with her parents, her father rolling her trunk along behind him. She was suddenly possessed with a mad urge to break away, to go and find Rudy, to beg him to kiss her just once more. She turned, frantic, desperate… but Rudy was no longer anywhere to be seen on the platform. Just steam, and unimportant faces that all ran together.

"Aurora?"

"Sorry," she said, rocks falling into the pit of her stomach. "I thought I'd forgotten something."

She let her face twist into a wry smile as she eased through the barrier to King's Cross with her parents. She had left something behind, but she hadn't forgotten about it at all. She hoped Rudy's underwear theft brought him as much joy as it brought her.

* * *

_Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to all our faithful and new readers! If you are still enjoying the adventure, shoot us a quick review! The more reviews, the quicker we post chapters! _


	31. Birthrights

**The Sinistriad**_  
Atta-Nycol_

Chapter 31

* * *

Rudy was lucky. He'd made sure to sit on the opposite end of the train from Rabastan, sure to hang back (the last wonderful kiss with Aurora was not so bad) so that his brother emerged first. Among the sea of people, he was able to drop Aurora's trunk off, give her a quick kiss and wave hello to her parents before he shot back onto the train to gather his things. In his hurry to get off the train to say hello to his own family, Rudy cracked his head both pulling his trunk down and banging through the corridor towards the other end of the train.

He paused, reaching the door. He rubbed what was sure to be a bruise, set the dull throb at the back of his mind, and took a bracing breath. One second. Two.

He stepped off the train.

Rudy's mother was nearby, talking animatedly to Rabastan. Dizzy popped into existence somewhere on his left, smiling discreetly at him. "Dizzy be taking Master Rudy's trunk?" Dizzy winked at him, and Rudy felt the buttons around his neck fasten. Rudy's hand shot up towards his throat, but he passed it off by rubbing the back of his neck.

Rudy nodded, sparing only the briefest glance for the elf (she blushed happily at his attention anyway) and looked around.

"Sir," Rudy said, nodding his head hesitantly, and removing his hat. Rostandus walked a few steps forward, his gaze piercing Rudy like knives. Rostandus said nothing.

"Rudy, darling—I feel like you've grown even taller—bend down and kiss your dear mother hello, won't you?" Rudy smiled and wrapped his arms around his mother for a moment, pecking her on the cheek.

"Maman!" _You liar, Rudy—how dare you lie to your mother—how dare you keep secrets from her—_ He tried to pour a lot of unsaid things into the hug, but she quickly let go of him, seemingly oblivious to his sudden internal wave of guilt. "Well? What do you two want to do? We have the carriage waiting, but we could stay and do some winter shopping if—"

"Not today, Magriette." Rostandus' voice was hard and level. "Move along, boys." He put a hand on Rudy's shoulder and pushed—just hard enough make a breath of anger flare in Rudy's brain. He knew how to walk. He didn't need to be shoved—

Rudy's mother smoothly stepped back and took his arm. "Talk to me! Tell us about school! How is the tournament going? You've said barely a word in your letters—and Rabastan champion! It's so fantastic, I'm so proud—but it's still wonderful to watch, isn't it, Roddy? I loved the one that I got to see at Beauxbaton! All the foreign wizards, all the pomp and circumstance…"

Rudy had to force himself not to correct his mother as she slipped, and fell into the cadence of using her personal pet name for him. Roddy. Hadn't he outgrown that? "There's not really—" Rudy started, but his father cut him off.

"You spent the entire Triwizard Tournament drunk on muggle music and celebratory champagne. Don't exaggerate, Magriette."

Magriette smoothly avoided the insult. "There were some excellent parties, though I admit some of them were of a lower class than others. That was then, though! What about now?"

Rabastan began chattering aimlessly about the tournament. Rudy cursed himself inwardly—he should have checked on Rabastan, he should have been paying attention and writing about it in the letters…He listened to Rabastan talk, thankful that the news was coming to him somehow. Rudy could fake a conversation about the tournament if he at least had somewhere to start.

Rabastan was talking about some social they'd had with the Beauxbaton girls. "Rudy was there, right? With Antoinette?"

"I didn't go with Antoinette—"

"I thought you escorted her off the Beauxbaton carriage. Does that _not_ mean you were her escort?"

"Oh," Rudy said flatly, giving his brother a sharp look. "That one. I thought you were talking about the one we had after the names were spat out of the goblet."

Rabastan shoved his hands in his pockets and changed the subject, asking his mother about her social engagements and artfully inquiring after several girls.

The black carriage didn't look out of place on the streets of London, except, perhaps, that it shone like new, and had a roof. They might have all been tourists, driving around downtown with the well-dressed groom sitting atop the carriage car. Could the muggles see the giant folded wings of the massive, jet-black Abraxans that pulled it?

Rudy deftly handed his mother up into the carriage, and stood aside to see his father's eyes boring holes in his head again.

"In," Rostandus ordered. Rudy quickly mounted the steps and took a seat on one of the plush couches inside, accepting a glass of water from Dizzy as she proffered the tray to him.

The groom shut the door to the carriage with a snap, and Rostandus sat down slowly next to Rudy. The crack of a whip, and they were off.

* * *

"Where are your grades," Rostandus asked, raising a contemptuous eyebrow at both boys. They muttered their apologies and produced the scrolls. A tense moment of hesitation passed, a wavering disgust fluttering over Rostandus face before he swept both of them up in one hand. He slit the seals on each with his wand and then drug them both haphazardly open. Silence echoed around the cabin as Rostandus took his time, comparing the boys marks. "You both need work on charms," he said slowly, and passed the scrolls to Magriette, who browsed them and smiled encouragingly at both boys. "Excellent marks, though, all around," she said brightly, patting Rabastan's knee.

"Wands," Rostandus gruffly demanded, and held out a hand.

Rudy wanted to curse, bellow, blow apart the carriage. Promising not to use it would do no good. Neither would asking for his father's faith that he could handle a wand on his own. Neither would refusing, nor begging, nor making creative arguments about why he should be allowed to keep it.

Though it burned acidly, Rudy wrapped his hand around his wand handle one last time, squeezed it like the shoulder of a brother, a comforting embrace, of sorts. And then he forced his hand to open, and let it drop into his father's waiting hand.

He gave a cursory inspection of both, checking for damage. Rabastan's shone like new, undoubtedly polished very recently. Rudy's… had been neglected in that department. At least there wasn't potion splatter on it, this year. The stains from that mishap had very nearly faded, too. It looked better than usual, but nothing compared Rabastan's stately black, polished wand, with silver and bronze in the handle.

Rudy's was made of wood. He didn't want anybody to do anything to his wand, because his wand was just fine the way it was. If he did something to it, it wouldn't fit in his hand the same way, wouldn't do magic the way it was supposed to. But without a custom goblin-made handle, it looked cheap and ridiculous next to his brother's.

Rostandus nodded and handed Rabastan his wand back, and slid Rudy's into his jacket pocket, not missing the look of pain that crossed Rudy's face.

"You'll kill us all with your reckless temper."

"I thought it was because I was underage?" Rudy met his father's eyes, furious, his hands itching to snatch his wand back from his father.

"If you were responsible, like your brother, maybe you'd deserve to use a wand when nobody was babysitting you, underage or not. Are you cheating in Transfiguration?" Rostandus looked as though he'd already made up his mind.

"No," Rudy replied flatly, and turned to stare out the carriage window. His father hadn't put his wand in the box, yet… he had to keep his temper or it would go off in his father's jacket and light him on fire, and then Rudy would truly be in trouble…

Rostandus scowled and swept his wand off the seat of the carriage. Rudy automatically crammed himself into the corner, tipping over his water glass in the effort to protect himself, but it didn't do any good. His father's spell caught him right where it always did, breaking open the old curse scar that marred Rudy's side, burning like boiling oil. He doubled over, clutching at the scar, knowing there would be no blood but feeling as though his insides were in danger of falling out.

Rostandus smacked Rudy across the back of his head, one of his large rings making a dent in the back of Rudy's skull, right over where Rudy had banged it on the train. He put a firm hand on the back of Rudy's neck and pinched uncomfortably.

"I will tolerate absolutely none of this attitude," he snarled in Rudy's ear, and then jerked the boy back up. "Sit up," Rostandus snapped. "And calm your ass down. You're scaring your mother."

Rudy sat up, his arm still wrapped around his side, trying to take calmer breaths. He didn't have the mental capacity to be angry now. His focus was all used up on covering the pain. He glanced at his mother, one hand clenched in the material of Rabastan's jacket, and the other daintily held over her mouth. She looked so pale. Rudy sat up a little straighter, and looked warily at his father.

Rostandus removed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped it through the air once, the water disappearing from everywhere. Dizzy grabbed Rudy's glass from the floor and faded into the shadows again.

Rostandus looked from one of his sons to the other. "I thought I had made it clear that disrespect and backtalk was not tolerated in this house. Do either of you need another reminder?"

"No sir," both boys chirped obediently.

"You will keep a civil tongue in your head when you speak to me, boy." His father's eyes were livid as he stared at Rudy.

"Yes, sir."

"Have you forgetten how to apologize?"

"No, sir. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"I wish you were that smart," Rostandus bit out, and then snapped his fingers at Dizzy. "Bring the boys their Charms books, and Magriette's needlework."

"Is master not needing nuffink for—"

"I have the Prophet, elf, are you blind?"

Dizzy dodged his kick and bowed low. The moments passed heavily and slowly before she returned, handing out the items to each owner.

Rudy flipped open his charms book, propped an ankle on one knee, and nodded imperceptibly at his mother to show he was all right. There was a jolt as the Abraxans finally took off, suitably out of sight. He stared out the window for the briefest second, wishing he was on his broomstick instead of locked inside this stupid carriage.

"Stop daydreaming," his father snapped. "Are you constitutionally incapable of focusing?"

Rudy looked back at his textbook. He almost smiled to himself thinking of what had impacted his charms grade… the thought was heartening, but he shut it deliberately out. Focus. His father would quiz him later, probably. He applied himself to the work with a force, relishing it for its distraction, silently rehearsing the spells and theory in his brain, page by page.

* * *

From London there was a portkey that took them to Italy. From Italy, another portkey to Greece, and from there to Turkey. Once in Turkey, it was a train-ride into Syria and then upon finally entering the country of Jordan, after four very long lines and at least as many languages, Aurora's parents picked up a musty old rug and were soon flying their daughter to the city of Amman. It was the capital of Jordan and about the closest thing to a cosmopolitan area in the surrounding countries. The last part of the trip took a few days, and Aurora spent it dismally staring at the surroundings as they passed. None of it was new to her; her family traveled so much Aurora could speak nearly ten different languages roughly and had lived in more cities than she had teeth. The deserts, the breaks in travel for muggle Islamic prayer, the clothing and poverty, the donkeys and rusty old cars…with her father living the life of a squib, Aurora's knowledge of the muggle world was about evenly matched with hers of the wizarding world. Luckily, her father was still able to partake in portkeys, apparition, and magic rugs thanks to her mother without getting sick or disorientated. This was fortunate, because Aurora didn't know if she could stand a longer trip to mull over the absence of Rudy without going crazy. There were many times as the train stopped to board and unload passengers that Aurora could've sworn she saw Rudy in the passing face of a gentlemen or in the swagger of another. Every time her heart leapt, only to fall when she realized it was not him. He was days away now, in a different country with his own family. Was he thinking about her?

The first part of the journey had been spent catching her parents up on all that had happened at school. Her father somehow refrained from looking at her whenever Rudy was brought up, but her mother eagerly took her hand and begged for more details, which Aurora purposefully briefed. She didn't need her mother knowing everything; she figured she wouldn't approve of it all anyway. But the second half of their journey had escaped Aurora. When she woke up from a nap, her parents were conversing in Arabic, mulling over foreign money and papers that had to do with the latest horse race. Aurora had decided that instead of trying to better her Arabic and join in on the conversation, she would instead curl up at the window and daydream about Rudy. The rest of the trip she had spent in silence.

When they landed their carpet on the top of the apartment complex, Aurora felt her hopes rise for the first time since she left Rudy. The complex was a tall twelve-story building that looked decent compared to most of the apartments and houses surrounding it. The outside was painted white and a few apartments even appeared to have small decks outside. But as her parents lead her in through the roof access and down the flight of stairs, Aurora was quick to discover her hopes of a decent apartment were in vain. Their apartment was on the twelfth floor where she learned the only reason they were even staying here, was because all witches and wizards were given the top floor. It made sense, since carpet access was done via the roof. But their room was at the far end of the hall and when she entered, Aurora stopped mid stride. It was a two-room apartment, with a small kitchen, dining room and living room all crammed into one space. The "master" bedroom was off to the side and was no bigger than a child's room, and it was there that the small bathroom was crammed into a closet sized space.

"Where am I sleeping?" Aurora asked glumly, but she had already thrown her pillow on the couch.

Her mother smiled apologetically. "It's nothing much now, darling, but we're working on saving up for something a little larger."

"Is that the only bathroom?" Aurora asked, peeking into her parent's tiny room and pushing the door to the bathroom open. The shower could hardly fit Rudy, she thought. In fact, the apartment alone was probably the size of their cleared out space in the attic…but with more stuff and more people to fill it.

"Now Aurora…" Her father began sternly, but she shook her head.

"It's fine. It's fine."

Aurora's trunk had been dropped in the middle of the room on a bright, woven rug that her mother must have bought at an Egyptian bazaar and the walls were hung with watercolor paintings from England and Indian tapestries. The small wireless they had on a chipped wooden table was surrounded by dried up flowers, African statues, rolled up maps, and burnt up incense in Greek bowls. The bookshelf was packed with her father's books on horses, breeding, and gambling. Bookends were the heads of renaissance kings, and a few Chinese dragons stared at her from the handles of a silk covered chest that kept her mother's few valuable items from home. A Mexican vase was on the small two-person dining room table, and the kitchen was lit by a Korean paper lamp. Artifacts from all over the world decorated the place, from the Spanish dishes to American coffee cups—from the French food to the Irish quilt on her parents bed. There was no rhyme or reason to this apartment and Aurora sighed at the clutter. It hadn't been cleaned in weeks and her parents travel bags were still sitting wide open at the foot of their bed. No doubt they found it pointless to unpack when they would just be leaving again when the next horse race was announced. Sinking to her knees, Aurora unhooked her chest and started riffling through her belongings, keeping her clothes folded and sliding them under the couch since she was lacking a dresser. Her mother offered to help while Peter put some tea on.

As they unpacked her stuff, Aurora realized she had never gotten a picture of her and Rudy. Jacqueline immediately noticed the frown deepen on her daughter's face. Trying to lighten the mood, she pointed her wand at the wireless and it came to life, sputtering and crackling as the music played out of tune.

"There's a desert race in Egypt in two days," Jacqueline said quietly. "You could come, if you wanted. I know 'ow much you adore that museum in Alexandria…"

"How long is the race?"

Jacqueline looked to Peter who was leaning against the counter nonchalantly. "Five days. You can stick with the caravan, though, if you'd rather not follow the race."

Aurora shook her head quietly. "I will make arrangements to stay in Alex."

"Are you sure?" Her mother tried again, hoping it would do Aurora some good to get out of the house and get her mind off Rudy. "The stakes are pretty 'igh. It's supposed to be one of ze more dangerous and exciting races."

"I'm sure." Came the short response.

Jacqueline and Peter exchanged helpless looks behind Aurora and he turned back to the kettle of tea, while Jacqueline pulled out Rudy's sweater from the trunk. She smiled to herself, running her thumb over the fine knitting work. She handed it to Aurora who quickly tossed it up next to her pillow.

"He gave it to you? 'Ow cute."

"I didn't know I had it…" Aurora tried unsuccessfully to lie, but her mother caught her blush.

"Smells like 'im doesn't it?" Jacqueline said quietly, so that Peter could not overhear. "I used to take your father's stuff all ze time. Still do when he's away. Makes the parting more bearable."

Aurora didn't answer but she couldn't argue it either. If she could not feel Rudy at night, at least she could smell him and pretend like he was there. The length of this vacation suddenly loomed before her and Aurora paused in her packing to stare blankly at the wall. Christmas could not end soon enough.

"Aurora, your mother and I have been thinking…" Aurora hated these talks with her father. They were always about the same thing. He offered her a cup of tea before continuing, which she set to the side to cool while he spoke. "Perhaps over the summer, instead of searching out another job, you could just work for us again. Keep book on all our funds. Become a sort of accountant. We promise to pay you…"

Aurora tuned out the rest. They tried this every year because both were so incompetent when it came to keeping track of their money that they almost lost more just out of carelessness than they did because of the gambling. They were too cheap to hire a real bookkeeper and Aurora was always the brightest of the three when it came to math. One summer she had made the mistake of agreeing, just to get them off her back. But she had soon discovered that dealing with their money only made her irritable because she saw how fast they lost valuable funds, and what stupid stuff they lost it to. Instead of buying her nice clothes and books, her parents spent it on nights out to get in with the big gamblers. Aurora had then confronted them on many occasions, threatening to put a lock down on all the family funds until they promised to be more responsible with it. But her parents had made a deal that they would raise her pay in exchange for her silence on their spending. Needless to say, they never did give her that raise, because they couldn't afford it. And the summer after, Aurora had found herself a real job at the Alexandria library that paid her twice what her parents had, and was steady with their income as well.

"Aurora?"

Aurora blinked and looked back up to her father. "No thanks. I think I'll check out the library again, see if they have some positions available."

"Make sure you seek out zat Billy Growswell," Jacqueline said while Peter hid his disappointment with a sip of tea. "He paid you so well last time. Perhaps he can even introduce you to a few wizarding students there."

Typical observations from mother, Aurora thought. Always pursuing the men who would get her farther in life. Nevermind that Aurora felt she was already taking advantage of Billy's kindness by asking him once again for a job that would only last a month. But Aurora did as she always did. She ignored them, nodded numbly then went back to unpacking.

* * *

That night, Aurora lay awake for hours staring at the ceiling. The lights from the city prevented her from seeing the stars and after having gotten used to the snow, Aurora was dying of heat in the musty old apartment. In the bedroom she struggled to ignore sounds of her parents…sounds she wished she didn't have to hear even with her pillow over her head. This wasn't right. She should be back in the attic with Rudy, doing whatever her parents were doing and shivering because of the winter chill. Instead she was breathing through her pillow, Rudy's sweater tucked around her so she could smell him instead of the mold of the couch, and trying to ignore how hot it was. This couch was a lot less comfortable than their makeshift one. It was lumpy in all the wrong spots and the beams poked Aurora in the back. She missed having Rudy to curl up against, his soft skin to press her cheek against and his thick arms to hold her tight. It didn't feel right to fall asleep without him. She couldn't! As the hours wore on, Aurora still couldn't sleep. And the worst part was, when she had to go to the bathroom, she couldn't even bring herself to go into her parents bedroom to get there, afraid of what she would see.

When morning came around, Aurora just gave up altogether. Sleep was not happening so she set about digging around the kitchen in hopes of cooking a big breakfast to distract her thoughts. But the food here was so foreign to her. There was no bacon or sausage, and the closest thing she could find to pancake mix was a muffin batter her mother had left in the fridge to mold. Aurora slumped against the stove and buried her face in her hands with a disgruntled whimper. Things were just going from bad to worse. She hadn't even realized how awful she had had it until she had Rudy. School had always been her honeymoon away from home. Her dream vacation. She had all the food in the world prepared for her every night. Laundry did itself. Magic was used for everything. She was a princess in that palace, and here she was reduced to a pauper again. A pauper without her prince.

"Aura belle, you are not well?"

Her mother's voice startled Aurora out of her hiding place behind her hands and she looked up at the woman, wrapped in a deep red silk kimono, her hair held up by two oriental hair-sticks.

"I'm hungry," Aurora said simply. "And there is nothing to eat."

"Well…there must be something…" Jacqueline bustled past Aurora, smelling extravagantly of some fragrance left over from the night before no doubt, and looking far too rich to be living in this apartment. "What about porridge? I think we 'ave some fruit you can cut up too…"

Aurora shrugged. Really, porridge sounded disgusting but she wasn't going to complain. It was probably all they could afford and an empty stomach would accept anything. Her mother pulled out a box of porridge and started to prepare it while Aurora set about cutting up an old banana and fishing out some blueberries from the back of the fridge. The two women looked almost identical. In fact, people had asked before if they were sisters because Jacqueline never seemed to age. The only difference, however, was their build. While Aurora possessed her mother's beauty, she had been cursed with her father's body. Thin, long legs, and little in the way of curves. Whereas Jacqueline couldn't find a shirt that she didn't fill and every dress gave her the most coveted hourglass shape. Aurora couldn't help but regret she had missed out on that. At least she had her own eyes; eyes that no one could pinpoint exactly where they had come from. Peter had a handsome face, but his eyes were dark and squinty. And Jacqueline had almost gray eyes that didn't compare to the intensity of Aurora's. It was about her only feature that didn't have an origin, and Aurora liked it all the more for that. It separated her from her crazy family.

"Did you sleep well?" Jacqueline asked, popping a blueberry into her mouth.

Aurora debated the answer and eventually just nodded. "Yes."

"Good. I know ze couch is not of ze best quality—"

"It suffices."

Jacqueline studied Aurora as she fixed herself a bowl of the warm porridge and added the fruit on top.

"So when did it 'appen?"

Aurora took her bowl to the small table without pause, sat down, and realized she didn't grab a spoon or glass of milk. So with a flick of her wand, she summoned both things and by that time, her mother had sat across from her with her own small bowl of the goo.

"When did what happen?"

"When did you become a woman?"

Aurora took a bite and wrinkled her nose up at her mother, who was watching her intently.

"Mother, you were home when it happened. That was like…years ago—"

"No, when you lost your virginity."

Aurora stopped mid-bite and stared up at her. Jacqueline smiled slowly, seeing the confession already written on her daughter's face. It took Aurora nearly a minute to recover. How did everyone know? Even Cissy had guessed, but that was because they had just done it for the first time…Surely the effects weren't still apparent!

"What?"

"I'm going to go out on a limb and assume it was with zat Lestrange boy?"

Aurora gaped silently.

Jacqueline nodded. "He is 'andsome. I would not blame you. If I were your age I would—"

"STOP," Aurora found her voice enough to yield the oncoming fantasies of her mother. "Stop. I don't want to hear what you would do with my boyfriend, thanks."

"Ah, so it was 'im then." She beamed as if Aurora had just passed a difficult exam. "But where? Surely not up in the dormitories…"

Aurora shook her head and quickly went back to eating.

"Come, come, Aura Belle! You cannot confess and zen not tell me ze juicy details!"

"I didn't confess!"

"But it iz written all over your face!" Jacqueline pointed her spoon across the table at her daughter. "And you carry yourself differently now. Like one who 'as explored ze great passions of this world with her lover…"

"Mother, please! I'm eating!" Aurora laughed in disbelief, dropping another spoonful back into her bowl. This was the most awkward breakfast she had ever endured. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

"Why are you so ashamed of it? You did ze boy, you must 'ave known people were going to inquire about it! And I'm your mother! We share this sort of thing, no?"

"No!" Aurora's eyes were huge and her cheeks bright red. "No, we do not! What happens between Rudy and I, stays between us!"

"But was he good? 'Ad he any previous experience?"

"No, mother, stop!" Aurora started playing with her spoon and porridge again just to avoid looking at her.

"Well?"

"He was fine, I don't know! I haven't done it before!"

Jacqueline shushed Aurora from across the table. "You don't want to wake your father. If HE finds out…"

"He's not going to. YOU weren't going to! Bloody hell…" Aurora shoved a spoonful into her mouth and sank farther into her chair.

"It's such a beautiful thing Aura. Young virgins expressing love in ze most intimate and sensual of ways…feeding their souls to each other while at ze same time giving of their entire body to ze other…the closest two beings get to becoming one," She sighed dreamily at Aurora who rolled her eyes in return.

"It's just sex."

Jacqueline burst into giggles at her daughter's crude and obviously forced cover, and Aurora couldn't help but crack a wry grin. She knew this wasn't true and her mother had been right in everything she had said. But it didn't mean she had to go and agree. The topic was still awkward and Aurora was much more comfortable joking about it then she was describing it. As soon as Jacqueline contained her giggles, she took a few bites of her food and then asked quietly, "I bet you hurt afterwards."

Aurora shook her head with a weary sigh, but Jacqueline nodded in agreement.

"Well now you know. And I'm 'appy for you…I'm 'appy you've found someone like 'im…"

Aurora didn't know what she was supposed to have learned from shagging Rudy, but she appreciated her mother's final words. It was more than her father would say about him anyway. It was still a few hours before Peter woke up and the minute he did, he was all business. Jacqueline and he had to meet with some breeders at the outskirts of town to discuss the horse they were potentially sponsoring for the big race, and they offered Aurora to come along. She agreed, much to her parent's delight, but asked if in return she could have an allowance to buy some much-needed clothing for this new climate. Her father agreed and soon the family was back on the streets of Amman, strolling through the unruly traffic and meandering their way skillfully through the poorer bazaars to the black stallion that awaited their inspection.


	32. Sun and Snow

**The Sinistriad  
**_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 32

* * *

Rudy flung himself into his writing chair, pulling it away from his desk so that he stared out the wall of windows in the library. The sunshine pouring through was warm, and the day couldn't have been brighter, reflected off of the snow. A fire raged in a magnificent grate—every hair of the fur of the roaring beast was meticulously sculpted. It rose up out of the wall and threatened to devour the entire place in a single gulp. Rudy looked at it and smiled.

His library.

It didn't belong to anyone else the way that it belonged to him.

And his _chair…_how he missed this chair…

He leaned back and beckoned slightly, with a hand, and an ottoman came zooming towards his feet as he lifted them into the air. The rich brown leather fitted his form perfectly, and the armrests seemed to have been shaped to accommodate him personally. He loved the way that he could lean his head back and still have chair to spare, but how he always felt like he had a pillow under his neck. Already he was starting to fall asleep again.

Rudy relaxed and let his eyes slide shut, basking in the sunshine. Before he knew what was he was doing, he'd pushed his hand towards his ribcage, prodding gently at the newly opened wound. He flinched a little, and made a mental note to change the bandages later. It was almost closed again, but it would be sore for days. Unless it was reopened.

He sighed and wished it would just do itself—that he could have his wand, back, instead of a pilfered stock of assorted potions. Vividly, Aurora swam before his eyes, gently pulling the bandage away as he watched, smiling at him coyly. _"We'll get you all fixed up, Rudy…"_ She kissed his side, and it healed… she kissed her way up his chest and to his neck, settled herself on his lap as he lay there in his chair. He could see down her little mediwitch shirt… he wanted her; wanted to feel that soft skin… _"I'll get you feeling good again,"_ she crooned to him, running her fingernails through his hair, and he chilled. _"I know just the trick…"_

Rudy sat up and attempted to wrap his arms around her, to kiss her beautiful smirking lips, put his hand on her back or her buttocks as she shifted so erotically in his lap…

The sunlight startled him, as he braced against nothing and tripped out of his half-dream, falling with a jolt back into reality. He rubbed a hand over his face and sat up, grinning. If Aurora did well for his birthday, maybe they could play a few games before summer time.

Rudy plunged his hand into the pocket of his black cotton bathrobe, and pulled out Aurora's underwear, unfolding them and holding them up. White with different colored stars all over them, and the elastic and lace at the hem fraying just slightly. He draped them over his face and inhaled.

He stared up at the ceiling, the leg of Aurora's panties just infringing on his vision of the elegantly paneled ceiling, raised so that an elegant geometric pattern hung over the room, bringing out light.

Rudy smirked to himself, let his eyes wander for a moment, and then set up abruptly, dragging his chair towards his desk and grabbing quickly for paper and ink.

* * *

"My beloved Aurora—

Your underwear and I are staring at the ceiling, both of us wishing for you. Your underwear spends a lot of time staring up my nostrils, and I imagine they are getting rather tired of it. I hope your smell lasts; I will never get tired of it. Perhaps you will have to send me some more before break is up; or perhaps, on Christmas Eve, I will take the ones you wear then.

If you wear any.

I would write to you about the ceiling, but it's not very interesting… except for the place where you can still see the ink just so slightly spattered from where Rabastan and I tried to stick quills into it by throwing them like darts straight up into the air. My family will be embarrassed I've said anything; you wouldn't have known it was there at all unless I pointed it out to you.

In other news, I send you greetings from the snow. It's a bright day outside, but cold and clear; I would enchant a snowball to follow the owl that carries your letter, but I somehow think both owl and snow would not make it all the way to Jordan if I did, and I might end up with a few divots in my beautiful face from the angry owl's pecking.

Later, I shall dedicate every snowball that explodes on Rabastan to you, as I don't otherwise have a good target. Consider yourself well past due for a face-full of snow when you return.

The winter moon also sends its greetings. I spent a very long time staring at it, yesterday, hanging so heavily in the black sky I thought it would drop. Its brightness seemed to blot out the stars. Without their light, we were both lonely. I shared a butterbeer with the moon, broke a bottle against the fireplace as an offering to Circe that you would be blessed and well. Did you notice any sudden spark of hope? I thought I did. Maybe it came just from thinking of you, or feeling like I did something that involved you. Like writing this letter—I am already smiling as though you were here to listen to my voice.

It will be nothing compared with seeing you again, looking into your eyes. The moon and I both agree; it is your eyes that hold us captive. Earth and Sky are lost in them, melted in them, mixed together. Earth and Heaven as one… your gaze, then, seems to me like the wind. A breath of your favorite breeze.

Has Cissy contacted you yet? Have you been shopping in Alexandria? Have you been reading the book I left with you?

Send your letter back with this owl—he knows where to leave the letters so that they will be found.

I am waving two fingers and smirking at you, leaning back in my favorite chair, still wearing my pajamas—cotton pants and a bathrobe… and I am imagining how well you would fit here beside me.

Happy Christmas;

Rudy.

PS: I enclose a travelling poem for you. My mother did the artwork on the page, and the words are not mine either; but it is the best travelling poem I know. I love you."

* * *

He set the heavy parchment aside, watching as it rolled up and automatically sealed itself, as all of his paper was enchanted to do. Only his touch could open them; to any unauthorized reader, the scrolls appeared blank. He reached into his desk and sifted through a variety of small cards. His mother sketched, in her spare time; a lot of her drawings could be found on tiny sheets in the middle drawer. Night sky; quills; Rudy and Rabastan; a chessboard; the garden in summer; vines creeping all along the edge of the paper.

Rudy decided on a sketch of two lovers, drawn from behind, holding hands. Pulling his quill towards himself, he etched out the poem in the small space between their legs and below their intertwined fingers.

"Give me the moon at my feet.

Put my feet upon the crescent, like a Lord!

O let my ankles be bathed in moonlight, that I may go

sure and moon-shod, cool and bright-footed

towards my goal.

For the sun is hostile, now

his face is like the red lion."

_-D.H. Lawrence_

He smiled to himself, looking at it, and then he quickly addressed and sealed it into the scroll. Flinging open a window, he called. "ARTEMIS?"

There was an answering screech, and the bird flew in a moment later, lighted quickly and stuck out its leg. Rudy tied the scroll. "That's a long flight, that is, all the way to Jordan."

The bird just looked at him, as though waiting for more orders. "Go," Rudy said. "And don't get caught!" But the owl had already soared out of the window and into the morning.

He flung off his bathrobe abruptly, standing there in the cold that streamed in from the open window, the chill making the fire flare in the great mouth of the beast behind him. Rudy just smiled. He'd been thinking of what to do for awhile now—eventually, he'd asked Gregg if he could borrow his owl over break. Gregg hadn't liked it, but consented; at least, Gregg thought, Rudy knew what he was doing was somehow wrong. Maybe it would start to feel fouler to him the more time went on and he kept having to hide Aurora away.

Rudy snorted to himself, some of his good mood dying. Gregg had no idea how often Rudy hid things. From Aurora, from his parents, from Gregg and Nico, from everyone. Secrets were his bread and butter. Without them, somebody would have surely found a reason to destroy him by now.

He hated hiding Aurora. He'd never hidden their relationship at Hogwarts—ever—and it felt so strange to be doing so now. He wanted to be in Jordan, or at the museum, or in Paris with her. Anywhere with her, in front of anyone.

He fingered her panties in his pocket, shut the window, and went upstairs to dress. Who knew when his father would be home? Just because he'd missed dinner—and then breakfast—didn't mean he wouldn't be home soon. If Rudy got caught in his pajamas on this side of ten o'clock, he was in for it. Big time.

* * *

The first few days of vacation were the toughest. Aurora hardly slept at all, and it wasn't until her parents left for the horse races that she was free to travel to Alexandria and seek out Billy. The horse they had inspected in Amman was the ideal racehorse; built like a war-horse and black as night. It had seemed restless, as if its hooves were too hot to leave on the ground for any prolonged period of time. Aurora didn't doubt the horse liked the race better than the sugar it received as a reward for racing well. The jokey was a man by the name of Haji Sulli, a renowned desert racer and the favored one in the race. Aurora had met him along with the horse, Jamal, and had agreed with her parents that the two were a winning combination. Sulli had arrogance to rival Rudy; his pointed nose perched sky-high, and his skinny black eyes barely acknowledging those he talked to. Aurora noticed his fingers were adorned with rings awarded to him from other races and his face seemed worn, crass, from all the sand storms and hot days under the sun. But he held himself like a nobleman and his touch immediately stilled the shuffling of Jamal. Peter and Jacqueline were excited at the pairing and Aurora avoided watching as they dealt out money and fast Arabic with the trainer and racer. Even though it seemed this was a good place to play their money, it never settled well with Aurora. It was still a gamble, after all. If Jamal were to get hurt, or Sulli got sick, all that money was lost. Permanently. Any shopping Aurora had hoped to do was looking grim unless they won.

The night her parents left, they kissed Aurora on the cheek and at least had the courtesy to ask if she would be alright by herself. Truthfully, Aurora had been so wrapped up in thoughts of missing Rudy that she hadn't even thought about Avery or the likes of anyone like him.

She nodded absently.

"If you change your mind, you can always owl us and we'll send someone to pick you up," Peter said, adjusting the ragged pack on his shoulder, stuffed with books, money, a few nice clothes, and desert instruments. "You can always find us along the route with a free spot in our tent."

Aurora seriously doubted she'd change her mind, especially if it meant sharing a tent with her parents. Sharing an apartment was bad enough. But she appreciated the gesture.

"Enjoy yourselves."

"There iz food in the refrigerator!" Jacqueline called as Peter ushered her out of the door. "And I left some money to use the washing machines in the basement…clean dishes are—"

Aurora closed the door after her father went out, shutting out the remaining orders of her mother who was too busy stuffing a bottle of wine into her pack to heed Aurora's rudeness. Aurora turned around and glanced around the apartment space. It was a mess. Clothes and rejected shoes were all over. The dining room table was lost beneath her father's stacks of bills and racing statistics. The bed had been left unmade and the kitchen still had the breakfast dishes piled in the sink. And as Aurora suspected, there was not so much as a meal in the fridge. Sighing, she picked up her wand and set about cleaning the place. The dishes were scrubbed, the clothes piled in a basket along with the blankets off her parent's bed, and the couch straightened itself. The papers were stacked and moved to the bedroom. After a brief dusting, cleaning of the windows and rugs, and many hours later Aurora finally brought the basket to the basement where she struggled with the foreign washing machines. It killed her to spend money on it, even though it was not much. An old lady, also doing her laundry, sensed Aurora's ignorance and bustled over to help her. She spoke in Arabic—to the complete loss of Aurora—but Aurora was a professional at figuring things out by pointing, and between the two of them they got the laundry in and running. With the clothes taken care of, Aurora was free to go out into Amman and find some groceries, and whatever money was left over would go towards some cooler clothing.

Slipping on her white sundress and pulling up her hair, Aurora dug through her mother's purse to find some loose change and then took the streets. Without so much as a map to guide her, it didn't take long for Aurora to realize she was going to need help navigating the city. So she flagged down the first taxi she saw, and hoped in the back. The driver took one look at her through his mirror and smirked.

"English?" He asked with a thick Arabic accent. Aurora nodded and leaned forward to better speak with him. He smelled of chewing tobacco.

"Grocery store?" Aurora asked, and he squinted at her. "Food? Buy food?"

"Bazaar!" He exclaimed, his hands pounding on the steering wheel. "Food!"

Aurora had been to bazaars before; where local merchants set up small stands and sold their homegrown vegetables and baked goods. She didn't know if that was exactly what she wanted, but she figured there might be someone there who could help her.

The taxi driver expertly maneuvered his cab through the crowded streets of Amman, despite the numerous pedestrians and donkey's who ran out in front of him as if the car didn't exist. When they finally arrived at the bazaar, Aurora was white knuckled and ready to be on her own two feet again. No matter how many times she attempted it, muggle vehicles never seemed safe to her.

Aurora stepped out into the blinding sun and blinked a few times before paying her driver, Sarfraz Khan. Khan thanked her in his sketchy English and wrote a phone number down for her, should she need him again. Aurora didn't even know how to work a phone, let alone find one, but she thanked him graciously and headed into the busy crowds hoarding the bazaar. It only took her an hour or so to purchase some food and a few sundresses, but Aurora was exhausted. The bargaining for fair prices was tough on busy days like today and she spent more time watching others and picking up tricks than she did shopping. But even with her hard bargaining, Aurora discovered she only had enough food to last her a few days. And her parents wouldn't be back for a few weeks, which meant she'd have to find other alternatives for feeding herself. If only food appeared at her table for every meal, like at Hogwarts…

On her way back to the main street, Aurora passed a vendor selling fresh tea that filled the air with its tantalizing aroma. Aurora inhaled and smiled, thinking back to the warm cups of tea she and Rudy shared in their attic, and the smell was so alluring that she had to stop. Aurora tugged the sleeve of the large man she figured was in charge and asked the price in sketchy Arabic. The man, twice the size of Rudy with a black beard that hid most of his hard face, looked down at her through equally bushy eyebrows and crossed his arms.

"Not for sale," He huffed back in flawless Arabic and Aurora thought for a minute she misunderstood him.

"What is the price?" She tried again, slowing down her Arabic.

"You cannot buy it," He repeated.

Aurora shifted uncomfortably. She had dealt with tough vendors who wouldn't budge their prices, but she had yet to be told she couldn't buy them at all.

"Foreigner," The man snarled, taking her by the elbow and leading her away from the vendor.

"Hey!" Aurora squeaked, trying to wrench her arm away from him and glaring over her shoulder. "Let go of me!"

"Father!"

A young man about Aurora's age was approaching with a woman who appeared to be his mother. The woman took one look at the situation and hurried behind the tent. The young man, however, set aside his canisters of tea and approached his father, taking long strides as he did so. He was tall and thin, his clothes looking just slightly too large and his long black hair pulled back in a ponytail. After spewing Arabic furiously at one another, the large man let her go and marched back to the stand, while the son looked to her apologetically.

"Apologies…eh, English?" He asked hesitantly.

Aurora hadn't caught a word of what had been said between the two men, and her nod was hesitant. "Thank you."

She turned to leave, but his voice caught her again.

"What is your name?"

Aurora turned around slowly, still a bit shaken with what had just happened. But the young man smiled sincerely at her and she felt she owed him the courtesy of an answer.

"Aurora," She answered. "You?"

"Rashad. You are not from around here."

"No. I go to school in London."

"Ah, London…" Rashad's English was considerably better than most of the native people and Aurora was grateful that he was at least able to understand her. "What are you doing here then?"

"My parents follow the horse races. They came to bet on—"

"Haji Sulli and Jamal?"

Aurora smiled slowly. "Yes."

Rashad shook his head. "Good racer. Good horse. They will win lots of money."

Aurora laughed quietly. "I hope so. I can hardly afford this," She lifted her basket to show him the few fruits, vegetables, and breads she had picked up.

Rashad frowned and turned back to his family's vendor. He picked up one of the smaller canisters and tossed it to Aurora. "Free."

Aurora shook her head, blushing. "Oh, no thank you. I couldn't."

"Take it. Free." He insisted. The container smelled heavenly and Aurora couldn't help but smile.

"I should pay—"

"No. It is apology for my father's actions. Take it." Rashad smiled and crossed his arms, ending the debate. Aurora carefully laid it in her basket, careful not to squish the food.

"Do you always work here?" She asked, indicating the bazaar. From behind him, Rashad's father barked at him to get back to work, but he waved him off.

"No. This is my mother's work. We just help. My father owns an apartment complex on the north side of Amman."

"That is where I am staying. Perhaps I will see you around, then."

Rashad's father got louder, and he looked apprehensively over his shoulder.

"Sorry."

Aurora shrugged. "It's ok. See you later?"

Rashad nodded and Aurora began pushing her way back through the streets and started the walk back to her apartment. She could sense the angry father's eyes on her back, and from the Arabic shouts of Rashad behind her, Aurora could only assume she had not made a good impression on the family. And as nice as their son was, she was okay never running into them again.

Her luck picked up, however, when taxi pulled up next to her only a few blocks down. Khan, tobacco dribbling from his lower lip and aviator sunglasses hiding his eyes, leaned out the window and called to her.

"Girl! Girl!"

Aurora stopped and smiled at him, and he waved her into the car.

"Get in car!" He called. "You no call Khan for ride?"

Aurora climbed in back and shook her head. "I don't know how to use a telephone."

"Eh…?"

"Oh…" Aurora translated into Arabic and he laughed loudly. The end of his laugh trailed off into a wheeze and he shook his lanky finger at her through the rearview mirror.

"You push numbers and talk!" He said. "How do you talk?"

"We write letters…you know? Paper and ink?" She mimed the idea and he nodded in understanding.

"No letters. You call Khan and he give you ride. Yes?"

"Yes." Aurora nodded at him.

For the remainder of the ride, Aurora listened as Khan sang along to Indy pop radio—the dice on his mirror swinging back and forth and the increasing heat causing sweat to form on the back of Aurora's neck. They arrived at the apartments just in time, as far as Aurora was concerned. The stuffy air of the cab had started to strangle her, and she was desperate for some water. She stuck her hand into her pocket for the remaining money she had, but Khan dismissed her gesture.

"You are friend now. You do not pay." He bared a toothy grin and Aurora and she nodded graciously.

"Thank you."

And with that Khan drove off, the Indy music blasting and his hand waving to Aurora from his open window

* * *

Aurora mulled over the piece of parchment in front of her as she chewed an apple quietly. It was evening, the sun just setting on the horizon and casting such brilliant orange rays into the city that it almost hurt to look out the window. The wireless was on, even though it hardly worked, and Aurora wore nothing but Rudy's large sweater and a pair of lacey black lingerie shorts. It was so hot in the apartment that even with all the windows open and the ceiling fans turned on high, Aurora could still break a sweat just by walking. The sweater, however unpractical, had the sleeves rolled up and Aurora could still smell Rudy on it. She had hoped smelling him would inspire her to write an elegant letter in return to his owl that had appeared over dinnertime…but nothing was coming to her. She stared and stared and stared at the blank parchment as if willing the words to appear, but nothing happened. She thought of her time in Jordan so far, and how mundane and low class it seemed in comparison to what Rudy was living. How could she tell him about the apartment she was stuck in? How she had no bed, no food, no money, and no possessions save those she brought back from Hogwarts? How did she explain the long nights she spent listening to her parents shagging each other, unable to go to the bathroom because she didn't want to go into their room? He would laugh at her. She was not the same girl here that she was at Hogwarts. Rudy did not truly understand her, or her life. How could he? They came from lavishly different places. To take a shower, Aurora had to use cold water and one small towel. There was no air-conditioning here; no washing machine or working wireless. Why just to feed herself while her parents were away, Aurora had practically reduced herself to begging the merchants because the spare change she had found wasn't nearly sufficient to buy all she needed. Every cent she would earn at the library in Alexandria would be spent to support herself during this vacation. None of it would be used for fun. Rudy had told her to buy lingerie…but Aurora could hardly afford a cotton dress at the cheapest price. How could she tell him any of it? He would break up with her before they ever reunited.

She tapped her quill against her lip and blew some stray hair from her eyes dismally. She missed him. She wanted to be back at Hogwarts with the snow, and the fireplace, and the perfectly fitted couch. She wanted Rudy and his laughter, his humming and deep breaths when he slept. Aurora hated this place, hated her parents for giving her such an odd home to come to. Hated that they were never here for her. Rudy was the closest thing she had to family now. Her relatives in France were distant and had not spoken to her in years. Her mother and father were so caught up in their gambling and crazy lifestyle they hardly had time to feed her. Rudy was the only person who made any effort to be there for Aurora…and without him, she had nothing.

Cradling Lisa in her lap, Aurora finally attempted to write her letter, making no promises on length or truth thought. She knew Rudy would want to hear her happy.

* * *

My dearest Rudy,

You have no idea how jealous I am that you are still enjoying the snow. The heat here is almost unbearable. Your snowball would not have made it, though I would've appreciated getting hit with it. The apartment has gotten so hot that I have lost all my clothing, save for your sweater. Though a tad warm, it smells of you and makes me almost believe you are here. I miss you so much. I can hardly sleep at night without you, and during the day I can pick out every lookalike that walks down the street. Obviously none of them quite compare to London, but they are constant reminders of you nonetheless. I have not yet heard from Cissy, though I can about imagine how busy she is, doing shopping of her own in the finer boutiques of England.

Tomorrow I will travel to Alexandria to hunt down that job I so covet at the museum. Hopefully, Mr. Growswell is still the curator. My parents left today to travel to Libya where the next horserace begins. I met the rider and horse a few days ago, and I'm crossing my fingers that they are the winning team. If so, I can fulfill my promise to you and seek out that lingerie. Until then, however, I am on my own. The apartment is to myself, I have no lack of freedom, and even today I spent on my own, wandering the city of Amman and shopping in the bazaar. I met a few nice people who thankfully speak some English and tonight I may even order in for dinner. As fun as it all sounds, however, I cannot wait to be back in your arms at Hogwarts again. That is my true home, and until I can return, my heart is in limbo somewhere between Jordan and England.

I love you and wish your continued well being,

Aurora

P.S. I started your book on the train ride. A most peculiar reading, but I plan on finishing it by the end of the week. I really have nothing else to do anyway.

* * *

Aurora reread the letter and cringed. How many details she had she left out? "Ordering in?" Her stomach grumbled just thinking about the real food that she could enjoy if only she had the money. Quickly, she folded up the letter, sprayed it with her lavender perfume, and sent it back to Rudy with his owl. She watched the owl until she could no longer see it and then turned back to the book she had promised Rudy she'd read. Only a few pages in there came a knock on the door and Aurora hesitantly lowered the book. She was in no state of dress to be answering it, so she waited to see if the person would go away. Another knock and then a voice called "Administration!" in Arabic. Aurora grumbled under her breath and sprang to the door to answer it. And there, holding a file in one hand and a calculator in the other, stood Rashad.

"Aurora!" Rashad's excitement was at first upon seeing her. But then he got a look at what Aurora was wearing and he started. "Dress! You must dress!" He exclaimed holding the folder over his eyes and stumbling back a few steps.

Aurora was bright red as she fumbled with a pair of jeans. Rashad turned his head, his tan skin also turning a shade of pink and his folder keeping his eyes from wandering.

"You dressed?"

"Yes," Aurora replied, standing awkwardly in the doorway once again. "What do you need?"

"I am sorry. I do not mean to interrupt. But your payment…" He pulled out a receipt from the file and handed it to her with a frown. "You do not pay on time. My father is getting angry and needs the money right now."

Aurora looked over the receipt and realized her parents had once again failed to pay their rent on time. Not that it should've surprised her; that was part of the reason they had never stayed in one place for long. They were constantly getting evicted.

Aurora's blush deepened. "My parents are not here. They went to Libya for the horserace."

"You must pay rent. Or my father will come up here himself." Rashad said again, the urgency in his voice unmistakable.

"I don't have the money, though!" Aurora groaned. "My parents have the money…no, no they don't. If they did, they would have paid…bloody hell. This is a disaster. Are you sure it can't wait?"

"Bloody…hell?" Rashad asked quizzically. "What do you mean?"

Aurora blinked and slapped a hand on her forehead. "What? Oh! Nothing it's just…a curse. Slang terms…Rashad are you sure I can't have a few days? Tomorrow I'm going to Egypt to see if I can't get a job. And I promise as soon as I have the money I will pay you."

Rashad studied her, but there must have been something in the panic of her voice, or the creases in her forehead that moved him to sympathy. He nodded solemnly.

"I will tell my father to wait…but I do not promise how long he waits."

Aurora nearly hugged him.

"Thank you," She cried in relief. "I owe you. This is twice today you have helped me."

"I trust you to pay. But do not get in trouble with my father, Aurora. He is not a kind man with money."

Aurora laughed nervously, but nodded. "Or with tea."

Rashad cracked a wry grin and tucked the folder under his arm. "I will be back in a few days. You pay then."

"Of course. And thank you again," Aurora watched as Rashad went to the next room that was overdue on their payments and shut the door behind him.

She slumped against the frame and scanned the receipt. The rent alone was going to be more than two paychecks, which meant all that money she had looked forward to for food was once again nonexistant. At this rate, it was going to be a miracle if Aurora survived Christmas break, let alone have any money to celebrate Christmas at all.

* * *

_Many apologies for the delayed chapter. We hope you are still enjoying, and still reading. Please review if you're still with us and would like to see more!_


	33. Rabastan

**The Sinistriad  
**_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 33

* * *

Rudy longed for Saturday. He already knew that he'd spend the entire time doing chores, but anything was better than sitting here, in this stiff chair, being drilled in charms by a tutor who was convinced he was an idiot, on material Rudy already knew and wouldn't be tested on again. It was a slow and maddening boredom. Between the veiled insults and the cage of his desk, Rudy was extremely foul tempered by the end of the day.

It was lucky that Rostandus wasn't home; these were the days that Rabastan and Magriette felt the floor was made of eggshells. When Rudy was in high temper, he picked fights… but Rostandus always won them decisively.

Rudy's father hadn't been seen in days.

Instead, he left instructions that the boys go through everything they knew about charms before they started their studies in preparation for the upcoming school year, and the tutor that he'd hired this time was an elderly, embittered man that enjoyed cutting Rabastan and Rudy down as much as Rostandus did. Rudy loathed him. Showing the man acidly out of the house as dinner time approached, Rudy flung himself into the dining room and sat heavily in his chair, fuming, and didn't speak until his mother asked him what had happened to drive him into such silence.

"He makes me feel like a fool," Rudy spat, attacking his roast duck with a needless violence. Bones crunched sickeningly.

"We do learn from him, though. I'd never pass potions without—"

Rudy cut his brother off. "Yes, you could. He's inefficient and obnoxious."

Rabastan stared at Rudy. "Lose the temper at the table," he said carefully. Rudy wasn't in danger of blowing anything up without his wand, but he would ruin dinner if he ran unchecked. Nobody here deserved his company if he was going to act like this—least of all Rudy's mother. So what if the tutor was rude; you learned that it meant nothing, and made him weak. A weak enemy was nothing more than a gadfly.

Rudy looked up with venom leaking out of his eyes, but Rabastan's were hard. _Do not be so weak minded, Rudy. He is nothing compared to you. _Neither of them said a word, but Rudy attempted to soften the way he handled his knife and fork. "I'd see him replaced," Rudy said shortly.

"With whom?" Rudy's mother asked softly, laying a hand on Rudy's wrist.

Rudy glanced at it, and then up at his mother. As if she could change anything, Rudy thought, and almost lashed out at her for being so ridiculous. Her face, though, as always, melted his biting tongue. "I don't know," Rudy sighed, He leaned back in his chair and looked across at Rabastan. "You like him, then?"

Rabastan shrugged.

Rudy looked from his younger brother over to his mother, and felt momentarily guilty for his bad temper. They always looked at him as though Rostandus might burst out of his skin at any moment, swearing bombastically and swinging hard. He hated it when they looked at him like that. Rudy took a deep breath and watched as a flock of birds soared across the enchanted painting on the ceiling. Turning his attention back to the table, Rudy nodded at Rabastan. "You want to play chess tonight? It's too cold to fly in the dark."

"You sure?" Rabastan asked slyly. "I'd hate to worsen your mood by slaughtering you."

"Sure, I'm sure. This time, I'm going to win," Rudy said jokingly, and smiled at his mother. Her smile was always so bright when the boys came home for break, always so enchanting when her husband wasn't around. His heart sank at the hesitance and fear in her face. "I'm sorry," Rudy said, his voice cracking slightly.

Her smile softened, and the fear fled. Rudy turned to look at Rabastan.

"It's okay," his brother allowed.

"You're such good kids." Magriette reached out and squeezed both of her sons' hands tightly, and then she sat up and clapped once. Dizzy was instantly at her side. "I think we'll take dessert, now," she said. Dizzy nodded and disappeared, the table clearing instantly, to be replaced by a handsome tiramisu with several slices cut.

"I'm still going to whoop your ass," Rabastan said, serving himself a piece of cake.

"Rudy!"

Rudy ignored his mother's scolding. "I'm telling you. This time, I'm going to win. I am warmongering tonight."

"Then I shall capitalize on your impatience."

"Or collapse under my offense," said Rudy, closing his fist in the air as though crumpling Rabastan's head.

Rabastan rolled his eyes.

* * *

Rudy unrolled his line of chessmen with a quick flick of his wrist. Even Rabastan had to laugh at the look on his face, but the chessmen were less pleased with Rudy's antics.

"Do you EVER take my kingdom seriously?" The king shouted, as the rest of his court muttered their disapproval.

"Quiet," Rudy snapped. "Or I will hand-feed you to King Rabastan, over there, and you will have no kingdom at all." Rudy laid the handsome bolt of cloth down on the edge of the game table, startling the manticore inlaid in the wood. His mosaic morphed with a soft clicking and ran from the sudden movement. Rudy lifted the king out of his slot, and set him down on the chess table. "See? Serious game today," Rudy said. "We're going to win."

The king sighed and let his stone head fall into his hands. "I'm only going to break into pieces a few more times before I don't come back together at all… and I am exceedingly tired of losing my crown and my kingdom to HIM—"

Rabastan's king and queen glided across the board and met in the middle, handsome stone arm in handsome stone arm. They bowed to Rudy's king and did not utter a word.

"Look at that," Rudy chided. "Go on and be a good sport and bow. And stop chattering."

The king called across the board, his tiny, perfectly carved hand up at his mouth. "Do you want the crown blue or red? You'll be wearing it, anyway—"

Rabastan chuckled, setting his pieces one at a time on the corner of the board and allowing them to silently assume their positions on the colored squares. "You shouldn't let your chessmen talk," he said, quietly. "A rebellious army is a weak one."

"Perform as a unit!" Rabastan's chest pieces said together, and each stomped a foot, even the horses beneath the knights.

"I would train my chessmen, except I have better things to do." Rudy pulled five chessmen out of their elastic and set them down on their squares, one at a time.

"You're squishing my face—"

"QUIET, you—"

"Like screwing Aurora Sinistra?" Rabastan folded his arms and leaned back.

Rudy looked up at him. "Maybe." There was silence for a moment, even among the chessmen.

"Do you think Dad knows?" Rabastan asked quietly.

Rudy shrugged. "If he does, he doesn't seem to care. If he doesn't, I'm not inclined to tell him anything about it."

"He's going to find out eventually."

"Why? Are you going to tell him?"

"No," Rabastan said, shortly, "but your best friend is praetor next year. If you stay with her, Gregg Nott will do something about it. He's almost done it three times, now. Would you rather be betrayed or would you rather come to your senses before your friends deem that necessary?"

"You don't get it. Black or white?"

"White," Rabastan said, "and you're right. I don't get it because you are being illogical and stupid."

"I have been called that enough times today," Rudy growled.

"Then stop acting like it, and maybe people will stop calling you out on it."

"Do you even want to play chess, or did you just want to lecture me when mom wasn't around?"

Rabastan shook his head, exasperated. "F2 pawn to F3."

Rudy's pawn mirrored him without comment.

"Everybody always nags me about it. I don't see why it's such a big deal! Her mother was a Bruseau, you know."

"Just forget it," Rabastan said, trying to hide his smirk. "Play chess." Rudy was so easily distracted from anything that required focus. He'd spend these crucial first moves, at least, worrying over Aurora.

Insulted by Rabastan's comment and respectful of the argument the players had, Rudy's pieces had fallen into a silence. Occasionally they fidgeted, or looked around to observe the board behind them. As the game progressed and sacrifices were made, only the king began back-talking again, shouting out orders and whining about his dwindling court. Rudy allowed Rabastan to check him, and running away as quickly as he could across a few moves; the king was grateful for the destruction of Rabastan's knight and held his tongue for the remainder of the game.

Hours ticked by, and Rudy's game slowly came together after its initial messy play. The time Rabastan had won for himself with his clever distraction wore down. Rabastan couldn't help it—he liked being a slow player. Tournament chess was too rash… Rabastan liked to think about it. Strategize slowly. Plan well. Execute flawlessly. A single of Rudy's ten minute moves was studied for twenty minutes, half an hour, and only when Rabastan was satisfied with his plan was there a single, quiet order given. The pieces stolen were merciless but not savage; sacrificed or murdered members of court held their heads high as tiny daggers pulled from bishop's robes soared halfway across the board to pierce them in the heart, or knightly swords were drawn and driven through their necks.

"It is such a noble game," Rabastan crooned, moving quickly for the first time in hours. Rudy glanced up at his brother. Rabastan never spoke when he was still playing chess. Rudy glanced down at the board and then up at his brother, his face impassive.

"Robby—"

"Only mom gets to call me that. Play chess."

Rudy stared warily down at the board. He didn't have a lot of pieces left—but Rabastan only had a handful himself, all clumped together. Rudy closed the guard around his king. Rabastan's hand shot out and moved the chess piece instead of waiting for it to glide.

"Check," Rabastan said.

There was only one way to move. Rudy's king ran… and then swore loudly as Rabastan's remaining bishop was planted firmly into a corner of the board. "Check mate," Rabastan said. "Line up."

"You are invincible," Rudy groaned, and nodded to the board. "Do as he says—"

"Invincible," Rabastan repeated, and grinned. "I like that."

Rudy's chess pieces lined up in front of Rabastan's knight, who hacked through their hands one by one, sending little bits of chessmen flying across the board. The head of Rudy's king rolled to a halt last, and the knight clattered across the board to retrieve the black crown.

Rabastan's king replaced his crown with the black one, and rubble shot back together. Rabastan's court reassembled. Silent king kissed silent queen, and then they all bowed to Rabastan. Rabastan nodded. "Well done," he said. "Put Rudy's pieces back together?"

The king inclined his head, and the debris of Rudy's pieces shot similarly together, the king still crownless.

"Rest," Rabastan said, opening the velvet bag he stored his chessmen in, and they slowly filed into it.

Rudy picked his chessmen up and slid them back into the slots of their casing, and then rolled it shut.

"Good game, Robby," he said, and ruffled his brother's hair.

"I told you," Rabastan said, shoving his brother's arm away "Only mom gets to call me that."

* * *

_Just a short one this week. Hope you enjoy. Review review review if you wish to see more in the future!_


	34. Coming of Age

**The Sinistriad  
**_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 34

* * *

Aurora stood by a table, wand drawn and hair pulled back in a braid. The table was covered with stacks of musty, thick books that were flying from bookshelves all over the library to assemble themselves neatly. In her other hand she held a long parchment scroll containing all the books being recalled by the curator to be reentered into the card catalogue. She wore the same black button down dress that she wore every day to her newly acquired job and it pained her to see how quickly it accumulated all the dust from the library in Alexandria. She was constantly brushing herself off.

As a large dictionary of ancient artifacts flew past her head, Aurora's eyes casually glanced towards the door. If any muggle entered, the magic would have be put on hold immediately. She rather doubted this would happen, given the majority of muggle's only came for tours or class outings. Most visitors were of the wizarding kind, seeking old books containing misplaced information on magic or magical creatures of ancient cultures. Wizard and witch professors were constantly stacked against the back walls, their noses buried in books as they wrote thesis papers for their profession. Aurora felt comfortable here; where there were equally as many wizards as there were muggles. Amman did not offer such a luxury, save for the few families who were housed on her floor of apartments. Egypt was crawling with magic, and the wizarding world was not so hidden here. Muggles, who were blissfully blind to all that happened around them, were often mingling with wizards and witches without even realizing it. Magical studies were happening everywhere, and "excavations," that muggle's broadcasted, were often performed by wizards and witches in disguise.

Aurora fit right in.

It was a little over a week into her vacation, and so far the only vacationing Aurora had done had been a brief tour of Amman by Rashad. Otherwise, all her spare time was spent in Egypt, trying to earn enough money to pay for her parent's apartment and set a little aside for school. She didn't mind it so much. Egypt was a friendly city, because of the magical folk, and it was much easier for Aurora to find cheap food and clothing. Many people already knew her, from her time spent in Alexandria before. And with Mr. Growswell's help, she found the best places to shop and eat. At this time, however, the city was unusually quiet because most had traveled to Libya to observe the big horserace. Aurora was fine with not being amongst that crowd but she was still anxious for her parents to return. She hoped that if Haji Sulli came out on top, her parents might pay her back for the rent. It was an added expense Aurora had not planned on when she started vacation and now the thought weighed heavily on her mind as she finished compiling the requested books and sent them towards Billy Growswell, sitting behind his large desk.

He had just returned from giving a tour of the museum with the children from a local elementary, and he looked exhausted. He was a short, thin little man with sandy wisps of hair and round glasses that hung too low on his nose. His tan suit was always pressed as flat as paper, and his brow was creased as deep as a ravine. His momentary surprise at the books piling themselves on his desk was replaced with a tired grin at Aurora who approached after them.

"Found them all?"

"Yes," Aurora handed him back the parchment, neatly rolled up. "All one hundred and six of them."

"And how painful would my death be, if I asked you to catalogue them as well?"

Aurora laughed quietly and shrugged. "It gives me something to do."

"I owe you," He chuckled, digging out a box full of blank note cards.

Aurora took a stack of books under one arm and made her way back to a small round table where she spent the evening filling out the catalogue cards, one book at a time.

Truthfully, as tedious as it was, Aurora was glad it kept her mind preoccupied. When she had time to think—like at night when there was no sound except the noise from the apartment—Aurora spent her time wishing she were back at Hogwarts. She hated how her life felt so out of control. Disdain and hatred towards those who shunned her because of her blood mingled with similar feelings towards her parents, who were hardly there for her as family when she needed them most. Her wishes turned to grudges and she envisioned Haji Sulli losing the race, just to spite her parents. She thought of not paying the rent just so she could get her own apartment and shrug when her parents asked what became of theirs. And then those thoughts would disappear and Aurora found herself hating herself more than anything. How dare she think such things when so many people had it worse than her? Simply being in Jordan was proof to the hard lives so many people suffered day in and day out. Hers was hardly comparable. And her parents were living the life they loved—it was not her place to judge them and accuse them of not loving her. They did love her; they just didn't know how to parent. Nights like that plagued Aurora and to fall asleep, she struggled to imagine Rudy lying with her. She had to imagine the feel of his strong chest under her cheek and his hands in her hair and traveling her back. The sound of his breathing had so often put her to sleep that without it, all other noises seemed too loud. His sweater was starting to lose his scent even though she clung to it every night as if it were he. She longed to kiss him again. That's all she needed. Another kiss and she would be satisfied…

Aurora really hated nighttime, and was grateful for the busy days at the library. After she was finished cataloguing, Aurora ventured into the peaceful streets and found her way to a little café where she purchased herself a sandwich and juice box for her dinner. Then it was a portkey and short walk back to her apartment where she slumped onto the couch and debated what to do for the remainder of the night. Picking up Rudy's book as she chewed on her first bite of sandwich, another book fell out. Aurora squinted and picked up the paperback that had been tucked in the back pages of her book, and when she saw what it was, she nearly choked.

She giggled and set the book aside, and instead started scanning the pages of Rudy's kama-sutra. She shook her head at some pages, and astutely studied others. It felt odd, she realized, to be looking at a book like this when just a few months ago she had been convinced she was going to remain a virgin for the rest of her life. But Rudy had changed all that. All her fears and questions regarding anything sexual had been satisfied. Aurora had no idea it was possible to be so comfortable with someone. The idea that she could shed all her clothing and still feel on top of the world without worrying about her shape or flaws was exhilarating. To be loved…it was the best thing in the world. Not even her parents knew her as well as Rudy, and he loved her despite everything. Even despite her blood.

Miracles, Aurora thought, really are possible.

* * *

A few days later Aurora received an owl from Narcissa Black, informing her that she would be in Israel if Aurora wanted to meet her. Apparently her father had some dragon dealings going on, and with Israel being so close, Aurora wrote back immediately and told her she'd love to spend the day with the heiress. The following day, a Thursday, Aurora took a portkey into Gaza City where she met Cissy outside Napoleon's Fort. Upon seeing each other, Cissy embraced Aurora with a squeal; the two blondes attracting a lot of attention.

"AURORA!" She squeezed harder. "You are so tan already!"

"Well when you have to walk everywhere…"

"I'm jealous! We'll have to spend some time on the beach…" Cissy huffed, giving Aurora a once over and cringing. "What are you wearing?"

"What?" Aurora asked, looking down at her gray wrap. "It's a wrap."

"It's an old blanket."

Aurora laughed and dismissed the comment. "Not all of us can afford _that_," she said, pointing at Cissy's white short-shorts and gold embroidered tee shirt.

"I'm not going to be seen walking around with a giant mothball. Come on Sinistra."

With her mind made up, Cissy took hold of Aurora's hand and dragged her back into the bustling streets of Gaza where they made their first stop at a little shop that sold touristy sun dresses. Aurora protested loudly when Cissy did a once-around the shop and reappeared with four dresses picked out for Aurora, but the deal was done. Without even asking Aurora whether or not she liked them, Cissy made the purchase and immediately made Aurora change into a light yellow dress. Aurora thanked her, but not before scolding her again.

"Aura belle, you know I have money to waste. Now come. I want some sea food."

The two blondes meandered through the streets in search of Cissy's seafood, and eventually found themselves in a little restaurant on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea. Aurora loved the salty smell and the seagulls that covered the beach like little snowballs. It was more congested here with tourists and locals alike spending the day in the warm sand, some swimming and some just picnicking under the piercing sun. Aurora and Cissy found their way to an outside table where they checked the menu. Aurora was so hungry her stomach grumbled loudly after merely looking at all the options. She knew paying for dinner would set her back again, but she couldn't skip eating. The smell of fried fish was tantalizing and the more Cissy debated out loud what she wanted, the more Aurora craved a hot meal.

In the end, both girls decided on lobster and shrimp, with an appetizer of salmon curry. Aurora had never been a big seafood eater, but with how little she had eaten lately, the mere mention of anything cooked sounded good. She would've eaten sushi had it been placed in front of her, and Aurora hated sushi. While Cissy ordered a glass of wine, Aurora stuck with water and looked out over the peaceful beach with a content sigh. It was a nice view and the restaurant seemed popular. Soon all the tables were filled as lunchtime came around and a line of sweaty tourists formed outside the door. Many just started ordering take out, and Aurora watched as they carried their lunch to the blankets in the sand. While she had taken the day off to be with Cissy, Aurora was disheartened by the thought that tomorrow she would once again spend her entire day working. Cissy noticed Aurora's frown, and kicked her lightly under the table.

"So tell me Aura Belle, what have you been keeping yourself busy with? Aside from acquiring a flawless tan."

Aurora smiled vaguely and shook her head with a shrug. "Nothing really…I got that job again in Alexandria, working at the library. And that's where I spend all my time."

"Don't you travel to the other cities at all?"

"Don't have time," Aurora confessed. "I need to be making money."

"What about your parents?" Cissy asked. "Are they still following the races?"

Aurora nodded and took a sip of her water. It had been a while that she had had ice in her drinks too. "Yes. They are in Libya right now, actually, at the big desert race. They should be back by the end of the week."

"Do you think they'll win this time?"

"Hard to say. I think the horse they picked has potential to win, but even if they did, there's a chance the money won't ever make it home anyway." Aurora laughed as if it was a jest, but Cissy knew better. Aurora rarely talked about her parents gambling problem, but Cissy had caught her slipping up once or twice about it, and pressed her for more details whenever the occasion arose. It was one of the many reasons Cissy had no problem buying things for Aurora.

"You should tell them you need it for school, if they win," Cissy said sternly.

"It wouldn't pay for much of it anyway," Aurora sighed. This was how conversations about her parents always got; Cissy got angry and defensive of Aurora, and even though Aurora appreciated it, words were not going to change her parents.

"Well it would help!" Cissy huffed. "Honestly Aurora, when are you going to stand up to them? You never have extra money for yourself. And your vacations aren't vacations at all—they're breaks from studying so you can work!"

"Not everyone has the perfect rich pureblood family, Cissy!"

Cissy rolled her eyes and Aurora blushed.

"I'm sorry," Aurora said quietly.

"This isn't about being pureblood. This is about your parents acting like parents! And you acting like the kid, the student, the teenager!" Cissy thanked the waitress who placed the salmon curry before them and took her fork to it, stabbing at it with force. "You deserve a break, you know. And your parents need to stop hoarding all the money for themselves. My parents give my sisters and me as much as we want. And not because we're rich, but because we're the children and that's how it should be."

Aurora didn't respond right away, but dug into the curry with a frown. It was delicious, but thoughts of her parents were distracting her again. She knew very well that her hopes of winning were useless. Even if her parents won, they would come home only after they gambled it all away in gypsy tents and ritzy hotels. It was how they got their names out there. They spent the nights with the wealthy and the gamblers. They made themselves a reputation so that when it came time to the races, her parents always had a foot in the door with someone. Most everyone around who was involved with the races knew her parent's names. They sponsored so many horses and mingled with so many classes of people, the only thing they were missing was the blood and money status to go along with their popularity.

Maybe Aurora would say something to them. She already knew she'd mention the rent not being paid…but maybe Cissy was right. Maybe after all these years Aurora would finally tell her parents they needed to start treating her like their daughter and not some pet that happened to follow them home. Maybe she would demand some extra money to go buy that lingerie and a few nice clothes for school…maybe she would.

But she probably wouldn't.

When their food finally arrived, conversation steered itself towards more pleasant topics and Cissy took the liberty of telling Aurora all about her boy troubles. She really did think Lucius Malfoy was a sex god…but the Durmstrang was just so hot and heavy…and then there was that French Beauxbaton that knew exactly how she liked it…

Aurora listened half-heartedly, her attention more on devouring every last piece of food she could get her hands on. It was amazing and Aurora's stomach was practically singing as she finished. When the check arrived, both dove for it, but Cissy slapped Aurora's hand with her nails and Aurora recoiled.

"Cissy!" She yelped, shaking her hand. "Don't you dare!"

"Dare what?" Cissy asked innocently, eyeing the check and pulling out the right amount of muggle money.

"I can pay for my own! You already bought me the dresses!"

"Nonsense. Today was my idea, I'm paying. Now shut up; your breath smells."

Aurora laughed and Cissy gave her a big smile across the table.

"Thank you," Aurora said quietly, squeezing Cissy's hand as they left the restaurant to find a place on the beach. "I owe you."

"Yes you do. You can tell me where you and Rudy spend every night. It's the biggest secret the school has ever known!" Cissy giggled, poking Aurora in the side.

Aurora laughed and shook her head. "That is staying a secret. Sorry."

"Come on!" Cissy urged. "Where on earth do you go that no one else can find? I just assumed you guys were shagging in empty classrooms, but the girls say you are never up in your dormitory!"

"We go where we have privacy," Aurora said. "And assurance that no one will walk in on us."

"The dungeons?"

Aurora shook her head.

"An attic somewhere?"

Again Aurora shook her head.

"Classroom? Office? Broom closet? Locker rooms?"

Aurora laughed and shook her head at all of them.

"I told you, it's remaining a secret!"

Cissy crossed her arms and grumbled good-naturedly as they settled into the sand.

"Do you know how hard it is to find a place to shag, Aurora Sinistra?"

Aurora laid back and put her bag of clothes under her head, closing her eyes and hiking her dress up just a little higher so the sun would warm more of her long legs. Her smirk was inevitable.

"Oh I don't know. Rudy and I don't have much of a problem…"

Sand was thrown and Cissy closed her eyes with a shake of her head. Aurora giggled and brushed herself off, glancing over at her frustrated friend.

"The locker rooms aren't a bad idea though," Aurora mused.

"Tried it."

Aurora snickered but Cissy was completely serious.

"It smells in there…"

"Mmmm, like hot and sweaty man," Aurora teased. Cissy just cringed further.

"I'll take mine clean, thank you."

Aurora rested a hand over her eyes and itched her leg with a toe.

"I miss Rudy," She said suddenly. Unsure of what made her say it; Aurora sighed and looked at Cissy. "Have you kept in contact with any of those guys?"

Cissy shrugged. "I'll see them when I get back. I have other prospects while I'm on vacation."

The girls laughed.

"You could always write to him," Cissy said more sincerely and Aurora nodded.

"We are…it's not the same though…"

"Do you want me to kiss him for you if I see him?" Cissy grinned at Aurora.

"Do and I'll hex you."

The girls retired into silence and spent a few hours basking under the sun when quite suddenly Cissy sat up and brushed herself off.

"Okay, now I'm gross and sweaty," She whined, looking down at Aurora who was near sleeping.

"Well, where do you want to go?"

"I want gelato," Cissy said, pulling Aurora to her feet. "Come on."

Aurora stretched, her toes buried in the sand and her entire backside covered in the sticky sand. Cissy laughed and brushed her friend off before heading back to the streets. Aurora followed slowly, still waking up and squinting in the sun. She had no idea where they were supposed to find gelato, but Cissy was determined.

They had gotten about three blocks over when the world suddenly exploded around them in fiery hell. Neither knew what hit them. A thunderous clap shook the street they were on, followed by countless screams and hysterical shouts. The force of the explosion had knocked everyone within a two-block radius off their feet and onto their backs. Aurora hit her head on the cement and yelped, her hand groping for any sign of Cissy in her confusion. Cissy had fallen not too far away, and was screaming Aurora's name. Aurora had only just opened her eyes when a rain of debris and smoke fell around them. Curling up on the ground, Aurora brought her arms around her face and felt the pain of glass and splinters fresh against her exposed skin. Her voice was hoarse as she screamed at Cissy to do the same, but the world was lost to the confusion and panic. Everyone else was ducking into buildings and scrambling to get under cars to avoid the debris. A few were still lying in the street, unmoving after the explosion…

Aurora didn't know how long she waited, curled up in the middle of the street, but it wasn't until she felt a hand tugging her arm that Aurora looked up and realized what had actually happened. The man who had pulled her up was another tourist, and she realized after a moment that he was asking her if she was hurt. Aurora shook her head and leaned over to grab Cissy, bringing her to her feet as well. Cissy was in tears, clinging to Aurora and brushing the glass and dirt from her hair. The tourist who had helped Aurora up was trying to explain to Cissy that it had been a car bomb, but she wouldn't hear him. She pushed him away, calling him a savage muggle and yelling at Aurora to apparate her home.

"Okay, okay Cissy calm down…" Aurora held onto Cissy but she couldn't move. Her legs were frozen where they were in the street, and her eyes were wide with what she saw.

At the far end of the block, a large, black charred vehicle sat in the middle of the street, open bodies sprawled all around it and frantic bystanders running every which way. The smoke billowing from it created a mountain of black that stretched high into the sky, and the scent charred their nostrils. There was so much noise it almost sounded as if the explosion was still happening. People were being rushed past who were bleeding from every part of their body; others were crying and clinging to one another much like Cissy. And then the sirens began, and the shouts for water, and for people to move, finally shook Aurora from her dazed state.

"Aurora! Aurora I want to go home! Aurora take me home, please. Let's go. Let's go home! I've got to find daddy first. Aurora come on!"

"Alright, alright. Let's go. Come on."

Aurora pulled Cissy to the sidewalk, making way for the fire-trucks and medics that were racing to the scene. A few people tried to stop the girls, pointing out the scratches and small wounds on their faces and arms, but Cissy wouldn't let them touch her. It didn't even occur to Aurora that Cissy might be severely hurt, but that was because Cissy was so panicked she didn't give Aurora a moment to breathe. She just wanted to get away. Aurora didn't have a clue how she was supposed to find Mr. Black, but her only thought was getting Cissy out of Israel and someplace quiet. Aurora really hoped Mr. Black had been far away from the source of the bomb, but she had no way of knowing for sure. They had been almost an entire block away and still suffered from the impact…anyone closer, would not have walked away.

Aurora covered Cissy's eyes so she wouldn't see the oncoming victims being shuttled into medical trucks. With much soothing and some added force, Aurora somehow managed to get Cissy to the portkey and back to her apartment. There she scribbled a quick owl to Mrs. Black, informing her that they were okay. She also asked that a response be sent as soon as the whereabouts of Mr. Black were determined. Cissy curled up on Aurora's couch, sobbing into her hands and shaking as though she were freezing to death.

After sending off the owl, Aurora wrapped a clean blanket around her friend's shoulders and gave her a hug, assuring her that they were safe. But Cissy was not convinced. Being in Jordan was still being around those savage muggles, she cried. Aurora shushed her again and stood up to make some tea, hoping that time and a warm cup would calm Cissy down. As the water boiled, Aurora went into the bathroom and startled herself when she looked into the mirror. Her face was bloody and scratched to pieces; glass and wood stuck in her hair and a few larger splinters stuck out of her shoulders. She had been so consumed with getting Cissy out of Israel she hadn't even stopped to realize she was hurting.

Aurora bit on a wash cloth and removed the stray pieces from her flesh. When she finished, she wiped the tears from her eyes and went back to Cissy. Cleaning her wounds would have to wait until she could make sure Cissy was okay. _Once again_, Aurora thought tersely as she struggled to clean Cissy's face, _I am left as the adult._

* * *

_Please review!  
_


	35. Intertwined

**The Sinistriad  
**_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 35

* * *

"Robby, turn and look at me."

"I thought you didn't want me to move?"

"Oh, go on and make your mother happy. Show me that charming face."

Rabastan obediently turned his head towards his mother, a smile plastered vaguely onto his face. He abruptly turned back as the miniature suit of armor he was levitating wobbled slightly, in the air.

"Can you PLEASE sit still? You stupid thing…" He bounced his wand in the air and the thing nodded clumsily at him. "I still can't figure out this simultaneous charm thing—it's so clumsy."

"You just need more practice," Magriette gently consoled. "Can I see your eyes, again?"

Rabastan turned his face obediently back towards his mother, trying to hold his wand steady as she sketched him. It was maddening to try and get any work done in a reasonable amount of time at all when she got that darned sketchbook of hers out!

After a few moments, Magriette nodded at her son with a broad smile, and he went back to playing with the small knight, trying to make it grow or shrink as it rose and fell, or saluted, or did a back flip. It rarely worked, but rare was the crash that indicated the thing had fallen to the floor. Usually, Rabastan was capable of catching it before it got that far.

Magriette shaded her sketch for a moment, deep brown against stark white. She loved sketching with colors. Reds and browns and yellows; summer colors. They warmed the paper. She smiled at the new image of her son starting to come together, and then turned back towards the window, where she always looked when she wanted to let her mind wander. Her forehead creased slightly, though. Rudy was outside, still, bent over a tree that seemed covered in thick spider-webbing. She watched as Rudy gathered the ends of it up in his hands, twisted it into a rope, and drew it over his shoulder, tromping through the snow. He'd never finish before dark—there were at least eight more trees to fell—and she was sure it would snow, soon. She didn't like him doing such dangerous jobs, anyway. What if one of the falling trunks crushed him.

* * *

Rudy stared up at the mammoth tree he was about to pull over. What was he clearing this land for? Guest house? Gazebo? He couldn't even remember. The only thing around which his frigid brains could focus on was this tree, this bundle of Knotting Twine, the strength with which he had to pull to haul it onto its side on the first try and spare his hands any further rope burn.

He rubbed his hands together, wincing. He'd been tying knots all day, hauling on rope to pull over trees, and his fingers and palms were raw with rope burn. He wished the cold would just numb them. The enchanted twine had a finicky way of shooting through his fingers and hands when it considered itself tugged, pulling out the intricate knots Rudy worked so hard to tie, and rubbing the skin off of his hands. He hated that it only responded to magical touch. Only the skin of a wizard could bring out the enchantment in the rope.

He picked up the ends of the twine again, closed his eyes and thought of Aurora and Circe and anyone else that would be awestruck by the feat he was about to attempt. He set his heels into the ground, adjusted his two-handed grip on the twine, and pulled with all his might.

The tree cracked, as the frozen sap within gave way to the strength with which Rudy pulled. Gunshots in the evening light.

"Number fifteen, you are number fifteen," Rudy said to himself, new sweat breaking out across his forehead, "I want you before the snow starts to fall." The thing was huge. It soared into the air, deep brown bark and snow-covered boughs of evergreen pine, majestic and menacing in its staying power. Rudy had tied five Weaving Knots around the thing, to make sure that the enchantment was strong enough. Knotting twine tripled the power with which he pulled on the tree, but its roots were deep and Rudy wasn't even sure fifteen men with five knots apiece would have been enough to get it over. His hands hurt, though, and so did his back, and he was anxious to be done. Tying another knot would have been another ten minutes.

His face flushed with the effort, and Rudy let a breath his between his teeth. "Come on, COME ON—" Snow fell out of it as the tree leaned slightly, but held fast in the ground. Rudy roared and pulled with everything he was worth.

"FUCK YOU, TREE—FALL—"

It leaned colossally, earth rising behind it as the roots started to wrench up through the frozen ground, demented skeletons rising out of the black earth. Rudy took a hesitant breath—and the rope shot through his hands as the tree righted itself.

Rudy swore silently and kicked out at the snow. All of the knots would have fallen when he let go of the rope. Another half hour's work and another layer of skin, gone.

He closed his eyes, letting his head hang back. _There isn't any use fighting it, Rudy—use the energy for something else—bend over and pick up the twine and do it again, because you'll just have to do it later…_

He opened his eyes and started searching for the rope among the snow. It always blended in. There—where the magic was steaming its way through snow and ice. Rudy carelessly shooed away the twinkling, laughing fairies that hovered in the fog above his rope. His brow creased as they rocketed away. They'd been hovering all day—he'd almost swallowed one as she zoomed for the mist from his breath—why did they run from him now?

Rudy reached down to pick up the rope and realized his mistake at once. Red snow. He'd shooed them away with blood; they wouldn't be back. Not those fairies, to this place, ever again. For some reason, the flight of the fairies put more of a damper on his spirit than anything else.

He glanced over his shoulder, eying the handsome manor house out of the corner of his eye. He could still use the knotting twine, if he could Knot it. The maneuvers were delicate, though—it was more like braiding or weaving—weaving a knot around a tree, like you weave a net. Wasn't that what they'd always taught them it was like? Knotting twine around weighted crates, fifteen boys all racing against each other, identical khaki shorts and perfectly pulled socks, ties and pressed collars.

Little magic for Little wizards. How happy they'd been to be allowed string if not a wand! All their knots were flawless, and all their fathers proud. What well-trained, well-bred, well behaved wizards they would all grow up to be.

"Ridiculous," Rudy said to himself, remembering the firelight and the way he just _knew_ this was going to put a smile on his father's face. How stupid he'd felt for not knowing Tommy Avery was supposed to win, how angry such a stupid trophy had made his father. Rudy had burned the thing himself.

His hands throbbed with the burn and the cold. Could he go back inside? His father would be furious if Rudy scarred up his hands, wouldn't he? Something about how it made him look like a cripple? But he'd be furious if Rudy went back inside without finishing the task he was set to do… _disrespectful! Lazy!_ _"Suck it up."_

"RUDY?" He sprang into the air, startled out of his skin to hear his mother's voice calling across the grounds, out the high window. "RUDY COME UP HERE—"

Rudy closed his eyes. "NO, I HAVE TO FINISH THIS!"

"RUDY!"

"DAD SAID—"

"NOW, RODOLPHUS!"

Rudy sighed, and obediently began to trek back inside. There wasn't any way around it now. He hoped he got caught quitting before he even made it up the stairs. Rostandus was always accusing his wife of "encouraging" Rudy—"enabling" Rudy— how he played on her sentiments to get what he wanted, she was so stupid. Couldn't she see it?

_If he lays a hand on her…_

Rudy snapped the door shut, but the enchanted house neither rattled nor permitted the slamming of the door. He stomped the snow off of his boots well beyond the door—would Dizzy be the only one that noticed?

Stomp, stomp, stomp, up the stairs. _Come and get me—_

Not quick enough. Maybe Rudy wasn't being loud enough. _Out of steps, now, anyway._ If it would come, it was coming.

Rudy pressed the knob to the drawing room door with his elbow and stepped in, his pants and his boots still dripping, slightly. There was Rabastan, with his little model knight in full armor, catching it as it fell through the air. And his mother, wrapped in the white dressing gown with the red embroidery. Red on snow. He could hardly look at his mother. Why was in here? Why was he letting her do this? Didn't she know how much trouble they'd be in? Rudy opened his mouth, closed it again, and turned back towards the door.

"Show me your hands," she said gently, setting aside her sketchbook and gliding across the floor towards her son. She was always so graceful. Rudy turned back around and looked at the floor, proffering his raw and bleeding palms out to her. Her fingers were so warm under his frozen ones, so dainty and white and small, and his blood looked foreign to them.

"It wouldn't hurt you to tie a couple of more knots, rather than do this to your hands every time, Rudy."

"I was cold," he said, and then looked away, ashamed of it. It seemed so trivial, now, to refuse to tie a couple of knots because he was cold. _Cold_. How dumb could he be?

The fire was already bringing feeling back into places he'd long since forgotten about as numb, and it made the excuse seem even more hollow.

"Take off that giant coat, Rudy, I can hardly see how you stand it being so bundled up in this warm room!"

"Mom, really, I should get back to—"

His mother cut him off. "Coat. Dizzy—bring me some dittany and murtlap and some old bandages, will you?"

Rudy removed his coat, draping it down on the floor near the fire. If he got out of here without getting caught, it would stay warm for ages when he went back outside to finish the few trees he had left to pull over.

Rudy glanced up as Rabastan dropped the knight he was playing with. He stared at it for a moment, his back to Rudy, and then the thing was back in the air. Rabastan didn't turn around or say a word.

Magriette drew her wand, trying to think of any spell that might help her son before she resorted to the potions. She'd never been much of a healer; although she'd picked a few things up as a mother… she could warm his fingers, at least. That much magic wasn't beyond her, was it?

"Let's get you warmed up, she said, and pointed her wand down at Rudy's hands.

The doors to the study banged open, both of them slamming against the walls with loud cracks. Rabastan's knight fell to the floor again with a crash—Rudy looked up just in time to see the back of his father's hand as it made contact with his face, snapping his neck hard to the side. He looked back towards his father—livid eyes, and his wand growing in his hand, swelling into that fucking broom handle…

His father drove it end-first into his gut and Rudy hunched over in pain, his arms wrapped around his middle. It always hurt worse end-on. His father grabbed him by the hair, dragged him a few steps backward, and threw him to the floor. Rudy drew his knees up underneath him. "I ought to break both of your goddamn legs!" Rostandus bellowed, and drove his heel into Rudy's side.

Rudy grunted in pain, his arms flying around his middle to protect the newly blossoming pains, his hands leaving dark patches on his brown shirt. He didn't move.

_125 x 521 = 65125…_

"HE is supposed to be outside—how dare you defy me—"

"I wasn't—"

Rudy heard it. He was already forcing himself to his feet, he had his eyes locked, he could see her… did she always have to be so surprised? She was always so surprised! She should have learned by now, hadn't he slapped her enough times that she could figure out that it was going to happen again?

"I SAW YOU HANDING HIM YOUR WAND—"

"I didn't—"

"YOU HOLD YOUR TONGUE WHILE I'M SPEAKING, WOMAN!" Rostandus had his hand around her throat, pinning her panicked face up against the wall, holding her at arm's length as though he was aiming with his other fist already.

"SHE WAS TRYING TO FIX MY HANDS!" Rudy bellowed, and even Rabastan finally looked up. He held them up to his father, showing him the raw, bleeding flesh. "WHICH ONLY HAVE TO BE FIXED BECAUSE YOU ARE TOO STUPID TO COUNT—THERE ARE THIRTY FIVE TREES IN THAT STUPID YARD—DO YOU REALLY THINK ONE MAN CAN PULL THEM ALL DOWN WITH _KNOTTING TWINE _IN A DAY?"

Rostandus whipped his wand through the air and Rudy felt his voice leave him. His father shook with rage as he strode towards his son. "I'll teach you better than to speak to me that way—"

Rudy raised defiant eyebrows at his father, his upper lip curled into a sneer.

"I WILL BE SHOWN RESPECT IN MY OWN HOUSE!"

White lights popped in front of Rudy's eyes as Rostandus swung at his head. He fell over, the floor tilting dangerously.

"Get up, boy—you get up and grab a shelf—" Rostandus pointed his wand at Rabastan threateningly. "This is what happens when I am not shown the proper respect in MY OWN HOUSE!" Rostandus swung his club again, catching Rudy across the chest as he stood up from the floor. Rudy lurched, and fell again. His father dragged him up by the hair.

"I said grab a shelf," he said quietly, and Rudy's hands automatically reached out in front of him for something to hold onto.

_237 x 732 = 173484…_

Rudy fell after only a few blows, wrapping his arms over his head as his father continued to vent his spleen on Rudy's back and shoulders, raising the stick high, and slamming it into Rudy's shaking, twitching form. Rudy made no sound of complaint or pain, although his jaw clenched and his face convulsed with every blow. He had no voice. Only the sound of his father's wheezing breath, only the sound of wood on flesh. And the crackling fire.

"Get up," came the quiet order, and Rudy's hand shot up immediately to show that he'd heard, grabbing onto a bookshelf and trying to pull his aching body up off the floor, when all he wanted to do was just have a few moments to breathe…

"Apologize to me for your blatant lack of breeding and rudeness."

"I'm sorry," Rudy mouthed. Rostandus swung the club through the air again and Rudy winced away from the impending blow—but he felt his throat relax, and nothing more.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice cracking.

"You have got to be the most thickheaded wretched ever to grace this earth. I will be addressed as Sir in my own home—how many times do I have to tell you?"

"I'm sorry, sir."

"I expect that yard to be cleared out by the end of tomorrow. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

Rostandus' hand whipped out and grabbed Rudy's collar. "And if I catch you trying to trick your mother out of her wand again, I will make you wish you'd never been born."

Rudy swallowed, nothing left in him for arguing. "Yes, sir."

Rostandus pointed a calm finger at Rudy, looking over at Rabastan. "Don't you ever let me catch you acting like this imbecile," he warned, and then sneered at Rudy again.

"Don't know what I have to do…" he muttered, and the door to the drawing room shut with a snap.

Rudy stood still, hollowed out, his mind still flicking back and forth between multiplication and real thought, his eyes unseeing and unfocused.

Magriette removed her hand from over her mouth, but didn't open her eyes. "You should probably retire, Rudy."

Rudy nodded vaguely.

"I'll have Dizzy bring you something to eat."

He nodded again.

Magriette opened her eyes, staring directly at her son, so pale and flat and silent.

"Kiss your mother goodnight, before you go?"

Rudy nodded again, and then turned to look at her. She smiled slightly, tears threatening. He couldn't ever hide anything when he looked at her. His eyes were so expressive.

She beckoned, and Rudy stumbled over to her, his gait awkward. He bent his head towards her, but did not peck her on the cheek; instead he wrapped her in his arms and relaxed there, a moment. Magriette couldn't bring herself to pull away for a few moments. She convulsed with a single sob, and Rudy let her go.

"I'm okay," he said. "I'm sorry."

"Goodnight, Rudy," his mother dismissed, and Rudy numbly made his way towards the double doors of the drawing room, pulling them shut with a click.

The fire hissed and spat, throwing shadows across the room that looked like echoes of the past minutes.

"Mother?"

Magriette burst into tears.

Rabastan awkwardly watched for a few moments, and then he, too, turned to embrace his mother. She obliged him for a short moment, and then pulled away, wiping at her face.

"He'll be all right—"

Magriette smiled. "I'll have Dizzy bring your dinner up," she said, meeting his eyes with determination. "Go on up to bed. I think I will soon, too."

Rabastan nodded. She wouldn't go to bed. She'd go to Rudy, and lay bandages across his back, and heal up his hands, after she'd cried herself out. She'd let the silly shock wear off, and then finally do something productive. She should just do it now.

"You're such a good boy," she said, patting his shoulder.

"I love you," he said. "Good night, mom."

"I love you too," she choked, and Rabastan left her to her silly crying.


	36. Correspondence

**The Sinistriad  
**_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 36

* * *

The week following the explosion in Gaza felt significantly more exciting than the others, even though Aurora's mundane routine of working long days and sleeping little didn't change. The small occurrences, however, coated the days with little bursts of news and excitement so that Aurora found herself less bored by her vacation and trapped in a whirlwind of events. A day after she had brought Cissy back to her apartment, an owl was received from London regarding Cissy's father. Mr. Black had avoided being anywhere near the explosion and would be coming to Jordan to pick Narcissa up at two o'clock the following day. Cissy cried after reading the letter and Aurora sighed in relief. Ever since the explosion, Cissy had been in a rather unstable mood. Any loud or unexpected noises startled her into tears again, and Aurora spent the night trying to distract her with wizarding chess and cards. Amidst the masks and fans, tikki's and incense, Aurora did everything she could to make sure Cissy was comfortable and that all her injuries were attended to. Cissy was grateful, but still too shook up to truly express any gratitude towards Aurora. The pureblood's opinion of muggles had also lessened considerably, for as they listened to the news on the wireless, she uttered newfound obscenities against them under her breath.

When Aurora finally dropped Cissy off to meet her father outside the busy bazaar, she did a final check to make sure the floo they had used was working properly, and then called Khan from a nearby phone booth. Khan was there to pick her up within minutes and he escorted her back to her apartment with loud Indy music bouncing the car on its tires. Truthfully, Aurora had called specifically in hopes of hearing any recent news regarding the explosion, but he seemed rather indifferent to it all and was difficult to get information from.

"They are crazy over there," He said in rough English. "Not even I would go there."

"Was it a suicide bombing?" Aurora asked, leaning over the passenger seat to look out the windshield and hear Khan over the music.

"No, just car bomb. Crazy."

Aurora nodded silently and caught herself glancing at the cars parked along the curbs where they drove. It had never occurred to her that muggles could be just as ruthless and prejudice as wizards.

"Do you know how many people were killed?" She asked as they turned the corner to head down her street.

"Thirty-seven. Many in hospitals though," Khan sighed sadly, turning down his music finally and glancing at Aurora. "Very sad."

"It is very sad."

"Khan is glad Aurora is not with them," He said, pointing up towards the ceiling of the car.

"Aurora is glad too!" She laughed. "It was pretty scary."

"You are brave, for English girl," Khan joked, grinning his tobacco brown grin. "Your friend, she is okay?"

"Yes…" Aurora had told Khan all about her and Cissy's adventures, since he was one of the few people around willing to listen. Everyone at the library had heard about it as well and she received the most owls she had all vacation the day after it happened. The letters made her smile.

When Khan dropped her off, Aurora sat down in the silence of her apartment and opened the newest letter that had been owled in. Immediately she recognized the handwriting of her father.

_Aura Belle,_

_Haji Sulli and Jamal won the race! We watched them cross the finish line two minutes and twenty-six seconds ahead of second place yesterday morning. Your mother and I were thrilled. We spent the night waiting for the other horses to cross. So far only one casualty accounted for. Taken by a sandstorm is the rumor. Madhu mala. Today, when the last horse crosses (or fails to) the tents of the elders will be opened and celebrations will commence. We wish you could be here! There is hookah, fine mead, and cuisine desert dining. There are also belly dancers and the most beautiful racehorses you'll ever see. It is a sight. Tomorrow, we will begin our journey home but do not expect us for a few days yet. We have some people to visit along the way back. Did you heard about the car bomb in Israel a few days ago? The folks at the race took some time today to pray for the victims. Your mother and I hope you are enjoying your vacation and let us know if you got your job in Alexandria! Maybe we'll stop by to say hello. Also, your mother asks if you have written to your French relatives yet? They had mentioned that they would like to see you if at all possible during this time off. Send them an owl; they'd love to hear from you._

_All our love,_

_Dad_

Aurora reread the letter and rolled her eyes. Those "people" her parents had to see no doubt would set them up with yet another horserace and were more than likely found at casinos where all that cash that had been earned would be wasted. She thought it funny that her father refrained from mentioning how much they won. It was a smart move—it kept Aurora from knowing how much they gambled away before they ever reached home. Aurora also thought it ironic that her parents had no idea how close she actually had been to the car bomb. If she had told them, chances are they would've just written a concerned letter anyway. The money from the races was too important to leave behind, unless Aurora was seriously hurt.

Folding up the letter, Aurora started scribbling her own letters. One in response to her parents, one to say hello to her grandmother in France, and one to Rudy. None were all too long, and Aurora carefully worded Rudy's so as not to concern him. But she couldn't help but mention the car bomb. After all, it had been the most exciting thing to happen to her all week.

_My love,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I send all my heart and kisses with it, though I cannot wait to shower you with warm ones the minute I see you. Lisa is wonderful, but she is not nearly as convenient to cuddle up to as you are. Your sweater is starting to lose your scent too._

_Cissy finally came to visit the other day and we ventured into Gaza City, Israel. Apparently Mr. Black had dragon dealings there. We went for lunch at an amazing seafood restaurant and even shopped a bit. But on our way home, we had the misfortune of walking a block where a car bomb had been set. A car, you recall, is a muggle machine of transportation. Someone had parked it along a curb, and it ignited when Cissy and I were at the other end of the street. Knocked both of us off our feet and we got hit with some good debris. Thankfully, the biggest injury was Cissy's security and she cried for nearly two days straight. Otherwise, our injuries were minor—a few cuts on our faces and bruises on our butts. That's more than can be said for the thirty-some victims. It's the first time I've ever seen muggle violence up close…it both scares and saddens me. The Israelis and Palestinians are just like the Purebloods and halfbloods. Muggles, witches, and wizards…human beings in general terrify me. What lengths we will go to be superior._

_Anyway, Cissy is back home safe and sound and I just discovered my parent's horse won the race yesterday morning. That means they shall be returning in a few days with stuffed pockets. I am excited to see what the race brings in. Rent is due and I still don't get paid until the end of the week…by the by, the library is the most amazing job one could ask for. Rudy, I found an ancient book written by the Egyptians and translated into English about primitive methods of transfiguring blocks of clay into pieces of parchment. Think about it—the whole process of the pyramids doesn't seem half as impressive when you take into consideration the ones who built it were probably wizards and were transfiguring their workload into paper-light objects. It made me laugh and think of you._

_I miss you. And I love you always._

_Aurora_

A few days later, Aurora got her response from her grandmother and laughed out loud when she realized how long of a response it was. She had been woken up at sunrise by the elegant white owl pecking at the window, and taking the scroll from it Aurora sank back into the couch and hugged her knees under her as she read it. In elegant calligraphy, her grandmother requested that Aurora come spend the week of Christmas with the family in France, and offered to house her parents if they decided to come as well. According to her, Aurora's parents already had plans for another race in India, but if they changed their minds they were welcome to come. Aurora frowned as she read this, because her parents had never mentioned anything to her about spending Christmas in India. Aurora thought it was bad enough spending it in Jordan where there was no snow and few who even recognized the holiday. India would be just as bad, and there she wouldn't even have her job or anyone she knew. Unless her parents were planning on leaving her home alone for Christmas again…which wouldn't have surprised her either. They seemed totally comfortable with making Aurora fend for herself.

Later that day, Rashad caught Aurora in the hall and asked once again for the rent.

"My father is a bull in waiting," He whispered to her. "I cannot tell him to wait much longer…"

"I get paid at the end of the week," Aurora said urgently. "I swear to you, the first thing I'll do is pay you."

"Your parents have not returned?" Rashad frowned when Aurora shook her head. "You should not have to pay for their apartment."

"No, I shouldn't. But I will since I'm living here too." Aurora shrugged.

Rashad clasped her shoulder. "You are good daughter, Aurora. Allah smiles upon you and will give back to you tenfold what you sacrifice now."

Aurora smiled and departed for him, once again on her way to work. Her parents indeed ended up visiting her on Friday at the Alexandria library, and they both looked on top of the world when they approached her. Grinning from ear to ear and looking tanner than ever, both embraced her with kisses on the cheek and praises on the job.

"Where's the money for the rent?" Aurora hissed, the minute her parents were in a state to talk semi-seriously. "Rashad has been bugging me for days…"

"Who?" Peter snapped immediately and Aurora rolled her eyes.

"The owner's son. He went around collecting the rent that was overdue. YOU guys are overdue and if I don't pay them with MY paycheck today, you won't have an apartment to come back to."

Jacqueline and Peter glanced at each other awkwardly, Peter running a hand through his hair and Jacqueline chewing her lip guiltily.

"We didn't mean to put the rent on you, Aura Bella," Peter said slowly, avoiding Aurora's eyes as he spoke. "We didn't realize they'd come collecting the money…"

"But you have it, right?" Aurora pressed, folding her arms. When both refused to answer, Aurora grunted angrily and leaned back against the shelf. "So I'm paying for it? What the bloody hell did you do with all those winnings?"

"We 'ave some of it still…" Jacqueline said, touching Aurora's elbow lightly. "We just…we 'ave other uses for it at ze moment…we cannot afford to pay AND—"

"And what? Gamble some more? Bet on more horses?" Aurora snapped. Her parents both looked down, red in the cheeks. "Grandmother just informed me that you plan to spend Christmas in India. Did you just fail to mention this little fact to me? Was that your plan all along—get evicted from the apartment in Jordan instead of paying your rent, and then moving to India where you'd leave me to spend Christmas alone while you gamble some more?"

"Aura, keep your voice down!" Jacqueline said feebly. Aurora tossed her hands in the air.

"I can't believe you two. You are conning the system! You don't pay rent because you know you'll be moving anyway, and you don't even tell me when this is supposed to be MY vacation! I don't WANT to spend it in India!"

"Aurora—" Peter started but Aurora was on a roll now. Her finger was in his face before he could continue.

"No! No, I am NOT just going to 'roll with the punches' dad! You aren't paying those people who so graciously lent you a room! Their life depends on being paid and I'm NOT going to just up and move to India without leaving behind a cent." Aurora glared between parents. "Fuck you both. I'm paying the rent and then going to France to spend the rest of my 'vacation' with Grandmother. At least she's not a thief and gambling addict."

Aurora marched past both Jacqueline and Peter and flung the door open.

"Goodbye!"

The two adults looked between each other and then back at Aurora.

"Aura…we are not thieves…" Jacqueline tried soothing the temper of her daughter, but there was no changing Aurora's mind.

"Then you can owl me the money I'm going to use to pay YOUR rent," Aurora huffed. "GOOD BYE!"

Peter grimaced and took Jacqueline's hand, leading her past Aurora and out into Alexandria's streets. Aurora slammed the door behind them and threw the nearest book across the room, watching it crash against the desk and flutter to the floor where it rested in a defeated heap.

Aurora found Rashad that night and gave him the whole of her paycheck. After informing Mr. Growswell that she would not be returning and apologizing for leaving so suddenly, Aurora stormed back to the apartment where she found an owl waiting from her parents. They pleaded with her to wait until they returned before she left for France, but Aurora was sick of Jordan and sick of her vacation and she was in no mood to bargain it. So after rendering herself completely broke again, Aurora packed her chest and sent and owl in advance to her Grandmother, informing her of Aurora's coming. She would floo in the afternoon the following day. Until then, Aurora ate a flimsy dinner of grapes and bread and jam, and listened to the wireless report on the latest from the Israeli bomb. Aurora didn't entirely care for the idea of spending the remainder of her vacation under her grandmother's strict thumb, but anything was better than what she was enduring in Jordan. She refused to be uprooted to India and she refused to be suckered into her parent's games. If they wanted to live wild, she didn't care. But Aurora was not going to be a part of it.

After a night of restless tossing and turning, Aurora flagged down Khan to drive her to the nearest building with a floo. She could've walked just as easily and sent her luggage ahead, but Aurora wanted to say good bye and thank him for his kindness. He gave her a high-five as she left and told her to give him a call if she ever came back to Jordan. Aurora promised, but as she stepped into the floo and felt the tug of the powder, she sincerely doubted she would ever make the effort to return. At least, not while her parents were there.

* * *

_Please review, if even just to say you are still reading. Please._


	37. Once More

**The Sinistriad  
**_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 37

* * *

Magriette knocked, and received no answer, but she went in anyway. The wireless was pumping out some new tune that seemed more rhythm than it was music. She shook her head. Kids these days…

"Rudy?"

Nobody answered her. His reading chair sat empty, his elegant sleighbed undisturbed. Magriette stepped into the room and turned the corner. There was Rudy, hunched over his desk. He looked as though he might have been sleeping, resting his eyes between subjects he had to study, unable to pry his eyes open to rehearse another spell in his head. With the wireless in the background and all the candles lit, it might have been a normal sight.

Magriette walked slowly over to him, smiling slightly. She went to put a hand on his shoulder, but thought better of it, and brushed her fingers through his hair instead. "My Roddy," she softly crooned, and then ruffled his hair.

Rudy opened his eyes and rolled his gaze upward towards his mother. He took a deep breath and then forced himself to sit up, hissing the air out silently through his teeth. No point in scaring his mother any more than he had already done. Stupid. What was cold compared to the look on her face, the creases and the red-rimmed eyes, and the forlorn exhaustion in her defeated shoulders? Cold. _Stupid._

He forced his hands to the bottom of his shirt, forced his arms up over his chest to take his shirt off… but they would only go halfway up before the edges of his vision began to blur.

"Let me," Magriette said, gently, and Rudy stilled at her touch. She slowly pulled the back of his shirt up over his head, tugged the long sleeves off of his arms, carelessly vanished his undershirt. "This isn't so bad," she chirped. "You'll be good as new in the morning." She conjured a crystal class out of nothing and filled it with water. "Drink this," she said gently, and Rudy lifted the glass and forced himself to swallow it. "Dizzy—bring me that box… you know the one."

Dizzy returned shortly with a fairly large wooden chest. Magriette lifted the handle on the top and it rose effortlessly into the air, table legs springing out of the bottom so that it would stand steadily at whatever height she pulled it to.

"We could run," Rudy choked out, shortly.

"Rudy."

"We could. We could run away from everybody—"

"Rudy—"

"You and me and Rabastan and Aurora—"

"Ah, the infamous Aurora… you know, your brother is offended that you're never around to help him with his homework," Rudy's mother said gently. "Drink this."

Rudy turned eyes as wide as saucerss up towards his mother. "So he isn't exaggerating," Rudy's mother smiled. "Don't worry—she's not a note in your father's opera. Drink this."

"We could make it—the four of us—" Rudy choked.

She kissed him gently on the forehead. "What strength is there in running? Soon—sooner than you think, Rudy—you'll be all grown up with your own house and your own wife and your own children, and all of this will seem as nothing."

She paused for a moment, letting a convincing smile through her words. _Once more, Rudy, _he thought he could hear her say. _One more day, one more summer, one more year. Just once more. For me, Rudy. Once more for me. For your dear mother, little Roddy. I know you can do it. You're such a strong boy. You both are, such good kids…_

Rudy closed his eyes on her begging face and tried not to fall too hopelessly over his desk again, allowing his mother to get to her work. Tried to cover the way his body convulsed and shook and protested at his mother's touch. Why did the healing always hurt so badly? Wasn't it a good thing? Didn't his body want to be healed?

"Will you turn the wireless up?"

"What happened to that big band stuff you used to like, hm?"

"Just turn it up, please."

Magriette grabbed her wand and pointed it at the wireless across the room, and the volume of the heavy rock music filled the air around them with crashing cymbals and loud voices. Rudy hoped it covered the sound of his foot as it smashed into the wall behind his desk, protesting the agony of healing.

* * *

Rudy woke with the sun the next morning, tired, but relatively uninjured. The healing potion his mother had convinced him finally to drink had patched most of the deep bruising, and even closed the curse scar again. Between the potion and the salve, the dittany paste and the murtlap Rudy had slowly bathed with before he went to bed, he truly did feel as right as rain once again. The bruises were gone. His hands were smooth and unblemished. Erased, as if yesterday had never happened.

Rudy rubbed his eyes and started pulling on cold weather clothing. He might as well get started, he mused, if he still had more than halfway to go.

He was just pulling on his jacket when there was a soft knock at his door. Rudy squinted at it, and the knock came again. He crossed the room and opened the door—and found Rabastan standing there with a scroll.

"Aurora sent you another owl. Artemis wouldn't stop pecking at your window. I was annoyed, so I took it. I didn't read it, or anything."

Rudy grabbed it and smiled. "Thanks." He looked his brother up and down. "What are you all bundled up for?"

"You shouldn't be straining yourself. Especially your back. It hasn't been twenty four hours—it's barely been twelve and the spell isn't good until—"

"Rabastan, you'll just get into trouble. You'll get me into trouble."

Rudy pushed past him and walked down the hall. "No, I won't! Dad's gone, he's been gone, he left last night."

"And you can tell me when he's going to be back? Impressive, Robby—" Rudy rolled his eyes.

"No, I can't, but I have a WAND and I can do a decent disillusionment charm, and DON'T call me Robby!"

Rudy turned and looked at his brother, frowning at him at the dawn light streaming through windows.

"I can tie a fair Weaving Knot, and I'll help you pull, and with the two of us it'll go twice and fast and be half the work. Don't be a—"

Rudy's hand snapped out automatically and grabbed Rabastan firmly around the neck. "I am NOT a fool—"

Rabastan swallowed, throat working under his brother's hand. "I was going to say hero, but turning me down would be pretty dumb, yes."

The two boys stared at each other.

"Let's see the charm, then."

Rabastan gently pried his brother's hand from around his neck, and then cracked himself sharply over the forehead with his wand. Rudy watched as the room seemed to drip down over his brother, until he was covered in its shapes and patterns and colors.

"And," Rabastan said, just for extra protection—Dizzy!"

Dizzy showed herself with a soft pop. "Dizzy be bidding young master a very good morning—"

"You are to keep a close watch over this house, as best you can, all day. The instant that Father returns, you are to apparate to my side, wherever I am, tell me, and wait for further instructions. Is that clear?"

Dizzy nodded. "Dizzy is being—"

"You can go," he said, dismissing the elf with a wave of his hand. Dizzy bowed and disappeared with another soft pop.

Rabastan's vague outline started to move down the hall, and Rudy followed, shaking his head. "You are one stubborn son of a thestral, Rabastan."

"Let's hope I'm as smart as one of those beasts, too."

Rabastan was right. With two people tying knots and two people working, the task in the yard was almost enjoyable. The work went quickly, too—only one tree was too tough to pull down the first time, but the boys were smart enough to give up before the tree started tugging back on the twine, ripping the thin rope through the skin of their hands. Once they had finished, Rudy looked around the newly cleared space.

"What's he putting here, again?"

"No idea," said Rabastan, panting. Swirls of snow from the last fallen tree were still settling in his hair. "Do you know what to do with the logs?"

"Nope," Rudy said. "I figured he'd tell me."

"Let's just stack them," Rabastan responded. "Lookit this new charm I learned."

Rudy watched as Rabastan aimed at a falling tree and it rose a few inches into the air.

"Impressive," Rudy responded. "I would have transfigured it. 'Sit Dark Magic?"

Rabastan shook his head. "That's the best part. Totally legit."

"I'm sorry I can't help," Rudy said shortly, watching as Rabastan made neat stacks of ten trees each. "And if Dad asks how it got done, I'll tell him I was learning and practicing this spell, because he's never seen me do it before."

"What's the enchantment?"

Rabastan grinned. Though his brother could hardly make out his outline, the smile shone through in his voice. "A man must have some secrets," he replied, smug.

Rudy laughed, reached down, and balled up some snow.

"Hey Rabastan," he called.

Rabastan turned to look at him and got a face full of snow.

"NOT fair—"

"It's not my fault the snow settles on your shoulders—" Rudy laughed.

"I have a wand, you idiot—"

"Only a coward would resort to magic against an unarmed enemy! It'd be like cheating at chess—you wouldn't confund me when we were playing chess, would you?"

"I don't need to confund anybody sitting in front of a chessboard!"

"THEN START MAKING SNOWBALLS!" Rudy launched another two at his brother, and laughed as he fell backwards into the snow. Their snowfight was furious—it broke Rabastan's charm and eventually ended in blood. Rudy had tripped and fallen into one of the gigantic fallen trees, slicing his arm open on the ice of an exposed root.

"I'm going in. You want to finish this up? Or—I can, when I come back out. Won't kill me to tie a few more knots."

"I got it," Rabastan said, kicking some loose snow at Rudy.

* * *

Rudy's father didn't return home again until almost dinner. Rather than cause a scene at the table, Rudy knocked on the door of his father's study to ask him about what he wanted done with the felled trees.

"Enter," came Rostandus' gravelly bark, and Rudy pushed open the door and stepped inside.

"Well? What do you want?" Rostandus slit open an envelope with his wand and perused the contents.

"I just wondered what you wanted me to do with the trees I cleared out—if you wanted them sent somewhere or chopped for firewood, or…"

Rudy waited a few moments for his father to respond, but he was too busy reviewing mail over his desk.

"I pulled them all into a corner of the yard, but then Rabastan went out and practiced some new charm, and ended up stacking them in piles, so… if you want me to do something else…"

Rostandus glanced up at him. "Is that all you wanted?'

"Yes, sir."

An uncomfortable silence passed, before Rudy's father glanced up again. "Get out."

Rudy backed immediately out the doors.

"Wait," his father snapped, and Rudy peeked his head back in. "Take these to your mother," he said, and handed Rudy a fistful of letters. Rudy took them and shut the doors with a final click, and went to deliver the letters to his mother.

"Dad said to give these to you," Rudy said, finding his mother next to a window in the library, aimlessly drawing in her sketchbook.

"Hm… I wonder if our invitation to the Masquerade is in here…"

Rudy rolled his eyes. "Who's hosting it, this year?"

"Christmas day," Rudy's mother said, scanning the invitation as she found it. "The Fortefleuve—"

"NO," Rudy said, cutting her off. "I'm not going. Dammit, she's changed the date—it was supposed to be at the same time as the Yule Ball and I was going to have an excuse… I'll find another excuse—I am not going to her stupid party—"

Magriette chuckled. "Yes, you are, and watch your language around your mother. It won't be so bad."

"She's a vulture!"

"You already have a date, don't you?" Magriette smiled knowingly at her son.

Rudy looked away.

"So you'd rather not be seen with her in public? What is the phrase you boys use… Rudy." His mother looked so disappointed. "I thought you were above—"

"No, mom, she's not—she's not _that_. She's in Jordan. She won't be there, anyway."

"So invite her yourself!"

"Let it go, Mom."

"All right," Magriette consented. "Though I still say you should invite her."

"I love her too much for that," Rudy laughed. "She'd hate going to a party thrown by Antoinette."

There was a pause. Rudy frowned at his mother. "What?"

"Maybe you'll be wed sooner than I thought," Magriette said softly, looking at him.

"I wish." Rudy looked away, and then looked down. "Dad wouldn't like her, so… talk about something else."

There was a longer pause.

"Do you need anything else from me?" Rudy asked uncomfortably.

"No," Magriette shook her head.

"Okay. I'm going to dress for dinner." Rudy nearly fled the room. He'd forgotten there was a letter from Aurora waiting for him. He read it with relish, and passed dinner in a happy daze, his father's temper low and conversation light. He nearly fled upstairs to answer her.

Rudy immediately pulled off his shirt and shrunk it, cramming it into an envelope, along with a sketch his mother had done of him, recently. After scrawling his letter, he jammed it excitedly into the envelope as well, called Artemis, and sent the old bird away. He loved giving gifts to Aurora. He hoped they made her smile.

* * *

"Aurora, mia estrella…

I cannot abide the thought of you sitting there in Jordan without any reminder of me to keep you company. I am sending you another shirt (in return, I demand you send me another pair of underwear, though your scent is thankfully still strong)—in fact, it is the shirt directly off my back. We just had a magnificent dinner of stuffed porkloin, so it should also smell of the kitchen. There was saffron in the rice; I thought of you. Have you been cooking with it, at all?

I'm sorry to hear that you ran into trouble on your day off with Cissy. I'm sure she was absolutely unmanageable about the whole thing, as well. I'm glad you told me, but I can't help saying that I don't much like the thought of you living in such a dangerous place. I'm glad that the library makes you so happy (and that it makes you think of me), but is it really worth it, to be stuck so close to violence and muggles? You are above that, starshine, and I would hope you don't go looking for the culprits to tell them off. I'm sure you could set them right, but I also doubt they'd listen to you. Please promise me you're being careful. I'll light a candle for you at the next mass, and hope that any further trouble you run into concerns long-dead wizards and the way they built pyramids.

Since Cissy has been scared away from Jordan for good, I'm assuming, I shall have to enclose my plans for you myself in this letter. You are to find the most expensive shop around, put on the clothes that Cissy bought for you to wear at the end of exams party, and go in and demand their finest dress. There should be enough gold in the pockets of the shirt to buy several, but I wanted to make sure you got anything and everything that you needed or wanted, and had some money to spare for anything else you can think you want to spend money on. Buy a fancy pacifier for Cissy. No jewels, though—that will be my treat, and come to you later.

I expect to see you decked out in as much finery as is possible for the Yule Ball—you are beautiful, and you deserve nothing less than to make everyone else notice it. I love being the envy of other men—and you should love being the envy of other women. You are singularly stunning.

I admit that I have had no such happy reminders of you—my mother seems to have heard all about us from somewhere, and she sends her love. Rabastan says hello himself. Other than those two pleasant voices, though, I'm afraid that life here has been rather dull. My father has hired a new charms tutor that makes Filch look like a ray of sunshine. I spend my lessons dreaming of ways to escape and kidnap you, sail across the ocean to the Americas and love you for eternity. They are treasured dreams. Many paper kisses, and all the love my soul possesses;

Your darling Rudy.

PS: I was not going to write it here, but I have been drafted inexcusably into attendance at the annual Christmas Masquerade—and it is being hosted by Antoinette's family. I shall hide behind my mask and a particularly gruesome costume in hopes that she does not recognize me, and I will be left to think of you and how you are enjoying your Christmas gifts for the entirety of the evening.

* * *

_We gratefully respond to all our reviewers on our profile page. _


	38. Their Finest

**The Sinistriad  
**_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 38

* * *

Aurora sat in the ritzy parlor of her grandmother's villa in southern France, buried in the latest astronomy books her grandmother had purchased when she learned of Aurora's coming. The French villa, usually buried in green foliage and vines, was now shivering in the crisp winter breeze. It's peach stone stood out against the gray sky and the maroon shudders clapped against the house with each gust of wind. Each fireplace was burning steadily, and there were many of them. With more wealth than she knew what to do with, Grandmother Bruseau lived in what Aurora considered a castle; though to most it was merely a mansion. Complete with butlers and maids, and more bathtubs than people, Grandmother Bruseau's house was about two hundred steps up from the apartment of Aurora's parents. The room that had been arranged for Aurora was in the west wing so that every night she could watch the sunset from her large balcony doors. She had her own large bathroom and a closet that was bigger than the entire apartment she had stayed in. Aurora was speechless. Surely this was worth the strict rules that were immediately laid down the minute her grandmother had seen her.

"No friends over after dinner or before lunch. No short skirts, low shirts, or heels higher than one inch. You will attend all meals and arrive promptly when the bell is sounded. You will not leave the house with your hair down. On that note, my personal stylist will wake you up at nine o'clock every morning to do your makeup and hair and prepare you for breakfast. You will take a few hours every afternoon to work on your studies (there is a telescope in the library), and at four o'clock you will join me in the studio for instruction in ballet. Don't give me that look Aura belle; you need to get back into shape! Any guests in the house are to be addressed as Sir or Madam and you have full access to the butlers and maids as you need them. All clothes should be pressed before worn. Only cats, birds, and fish allowed in the house. Dogs are strictly forbidden. You will let the doormen know where you are going if you leave the house and when you plan to return. No loud music once the sun has set. Stay out of the kitchen, my bedroom, and the office. Otherwise, you are free to go where you will in the house…any questions?"

Aurora had heard these rules before; every time she visited usually. Except on every other occasion her parents had been with and they would've cut off Grandmother after the first half. But this time, Aurora nodded silently and was shown to her room where she nearly cried with joy over all the everyday necessities that she had been denied for so long. Shampoos and conditioner, some warm clothes her aunts had bought her, new books, and a quilt her Grandmother had made. It was like a pre-Christmas. The first thing Aurora did was take a long, steaming hot bath, washing away all the filth of Jordan that she felt had been clinging to her. Afterwards, she spent a few hours visiting with her grandmother, filling her in on her schoolwork and the state of her parents. She left out the more gruesome details because even though she was mad, she knew better than to get her grandmother involved. The last time Grandmother Bruseau had heard about the lifestyle of her daughter and her husband, she flew herself to their apartment and threatened to have Aurora taken away for good if they didn't shape up. It had turned into a huge mess and Aurora was in no mood to deal with something like that again.

"And is there a boy yet?" Grandmother Bruseau asked, a thin cigarette hanging from her pink lips. She was the classic Bruseau too; thin, long legs, and her once blonde hair had turned a dashing silver that she had braided down her back. Her nails were perfect, her make-up flawless, and for a woman of eighty-two she didn't look a day over sixty. Aurora hoped she would age half as well.

"….yes…" Aurora was hesitant to answer this, partially because she didn't think anyone would believe her.

"Well?"

Aurora swallowed and fidgeted. "Rodolphus Lestrange…we've been dating for a few months now…"

Grandmother Bruseau cocked a thin eyebrow and took the cigarette out of her mouth. Smoke exhaled in steady streams from her mouth and nose and her blue eyes bore into Aurora's. She crossed her legs, shifted in her seat and tossed a loose piece of hair from her face.

"A Lestrange, you say? The eldest if I'm not mistaken?"

Aurora nodded sheepishly.

"Pureblood…" Grandmother Bruseau mussed more to herself than to Aurora. "I knew his grandfather. Wealthy family, aren't they?"

Again Aurora nodded.

There was a stern silence and then with equal severity Grandmother Bruseau asked, "Has he informed his parents?"

Aurora opened her mouth and then shut it again. Had he? Aurora just took it for granted that he would've. With Rabastan knowing it was only a matter of time anyway wasn't it? Then again, Aurora knew Rudy's father would not like her. Maybe he hadn't. Maybe she was a secret of his; in which case she felt stupid admitting to her grandmother that they were having a secret, frowned-upon relationship.

"I-I don't know…"

Grandmother Bruseau nodded and stuck the cigarette back in her mouth. Something in the way she moved suggested she didn't believe Aurora, especially with an answer like that. But she would have a change of tune a few days later when an owl came to the house with a letter addressed to Aurora. The grandmother found her granddaughter in the study, pouring over some ancient books.

"Is this owl familiar to you?" She asked, knocking on the doorframe with her rings and stepping in to deliver Rudy's letter.

"Yes, it's from Rudy!"

"I recognize the seal," Grandmother Bruseau nodded. "There is a letter from your parents as well. Apparently Rodolphus did not know you had come here for this owl flew all the way to Jordan first."

"Poor thing," Aurora frowned, taking the envelope from the tired owl. "Thank you."

"You will be ready for your ballet lesson?" Grandmother Bruseau asked, placing the owl on its perch in Aurora's bedroom. It looked grateful to be able to rest. "You can answer the letter later."

Aurora nodded, already pulling the letter and its contents out. Grandmother Bruseau watched her for a minute, noting the way her eyes lit up and all else was forgotten the minute word from Rudy arrived. Quietly she excused herself and Aurora pushed her studies away, reading intently. As soon as she finished the letter, however, she giggled and enlarged Rudy's shirt again, holding it up to her nose and inhaling long and slowly. She sank back into her pillows and held the soft material in place as she breathed in his scent. Her heart was beating faster just smelling him. How wonderful the senses were. She closed her eyes and pictured him towering over her, his strong body relaxing against hers and his lips caressing her neck. She couldn't wait to sink her nails into his scalp, run them through his silky hair and kiss him back. Circe she missed him! Never before had Aurora been so attracted to someone. Often she caught herself dreaming about him, some pleasant and some naughty, and when she woke she ached for him that much more. Everything reminded her of Rudy, and realizing that there was still a week until Christmas made her frown deeper. Why couldn't this vacation just end?

Pulling herself up, Aurora heard the jingle of coins in the shirt pocket and she pulled out the satchel with wide eyes. Rudy hadn't been kidding. He had sent a small fortune with his shirt and Aurora didn't know how to react. She had never held so much money before! It sat in her hand more fragile than glass and she hid it under her pillow just in case anyone tried to take it from her. She'd be sure to go shopping immediately, and she was determined to find the sexiest dress she could for him. And jewels? Had he really said jewels? The closet thing Aurora owned to actual jewels was a ring her mother had passed down to her. Only, Aurora never wore it because she was afraid of losing it. Cissy had bought her a few pieces of jewelry before, but it was never anything expensive. Aurora was practically giddy with the thought of it and bounded down the hallway and through the house to the studio where Grandmother Bruseau was already warming up at the bar.

Aurora was wearing her usual gray sweatpants over a light pink leotard while Grandmother Bruseau adorned the usual black one piece with a skirt. She had pinned her braid up and looked as young as ever the way she leaned and bent over the bar, her reflection in the mirror almost flawless. The instructor she had hired was a buxom French woman with a giant mole on her chin and hair as black as night. She looked more severe than Grandmother Bruseau did and intimidated Aurora with her unwavering glare and heavy accent.

"Late," Madame Bagot said as Aurora entered, still trying to pin her hair up.

"I'm sorry, I came as fast as I could—"

"She received a letter from someone fairly important, Madame," Grandmother Bruseau assured, waving Aurora to the bar. "Now come Aura Belle, warm up."

Madame Bagot lead them through a series of simple warm ups, and Aurora was thankful after a week of doing this, her body had readjusted to the routine and was already starting to get into the swing of it again. It had been years since Aurora had done ballet. Her summers had usually been spent doing it, but once her parents started moving around, there was no way for Aurora to keep with it. She had missed it and had even talked about dropping out of Hogwarts to pursue a more series career in dancing, but her grandmother wouldn't hear it. According to her, being versatile was just as important as being flexible, and to be respected you needed a firm education. She could dance after Hogwarts, if she so wished. Aurora had already had a few offers, and she hardly thought it would matter what kind of education she had if she was just going to dance. But because Grandmother Bruseau was such a big contributor to paying for school, Aurora had no choice but to finish.

After an hour of working through some ballet, Aurora and her grandmother rested on the studio floor, drinking from their water bottles as Madame Bagot packed her things to leave.

"Aura, we have received our Christmas invitation today," Grandmother Bruseau said between sips, dabbing daintily at her forehead with a small white towel. "It appears the Fortefleuve's are hosting it this year. It is our annual masquerade on Christmas evening and I think you should come with me."

Aurora took another swig of water. "Isn't that Antoinette's family?"

"Yes."

"Do I have to?" Aurora asked with a half-hearted laugh.

"I would like it if you came with me, yes," Grandmother Bruseau repeated. Her tone suggested Aurora didn't have a choice. "It is only for one evening, and it would do well for your reputation. Your mother never had a choice."

"My mother was also a pureblood."

Grandmother Bruseau pursed her lips. Aurora knew she hated it when she talked like that, but it was true. Aurora was not a pureblood so why pretend?

"You are as close to being a pureblood as any actual pureblood. Aside from your father, you come from a long line of noble and clean blood," She shook her head. "You have all the makings of a pureblood except attitude, Aura."

"And blood," Aurora grumbled into another sip of water. The only good news was that this might be a chance to see Rudy. But Aurora knew about the masquerades and knew with the number of people attending and with all the masks, it was going to be darn near impossible to find him.

"I'm sure the Lestranges will be there," Grandmother Bruseau said after a moment, watching Aurora for a reaction.

"I know." It's what Aurora was afraid of—what if Rostandus was there?

"You are coming," Grandmother Bruseau nodded as if this stated the end of the argument. "Tomorrow I will arrange to have a costume picked up for you. Anything in mind that you would like?"

"Jeans and a sweatshirt?"

Grandmother Bruseau huffed and shook her head, standing up and straightening out her skirt. "You are impossible, Aura belle. Too much of your father in you."

Aurora grinned wryly and also stood up, walking with her grandmother to the door of the studio. "Rudy doesn't seem to mind."

"Are you intimate?" Grandmother Bruseau asked suddenly, turning around to stop Aurora in her tracks.

"What?" Aurora sputtered, skidding to a halt.

"Are you intimate with him? With Rudy?"

Aurora mimed a fish and fiddled with her water bottle. Grandmother Bruseau took this as an obvious yes and patted her hair satisfied. "Then perhaps I was wrong; there is hope for you yet…does your father approve?"

"…he doesn't know all…all the details really…" Aurora stammered. Her cheeks were bright red and her grandmother was reading her every fidget like a book.

"He didn't get along with Rostandus. I doubt he would…" Grandmother Bruseau tapped her slender fingers to her chin and then shrugged. "You don't listen to him, in any case. Keep Rodolphus close, Aura. He could be your ticket out of this mess."

Aurora watched her grandmother waltz out, so confident in the way her hips swung and with her nose just inching towards the ceiling. Aurora hated that—how every relative considered her mother's marriage a mess. Aurora did not choose be born to a squib; she HAD no mess to get out of! And she was hardly using Rudy to help her standings in society. Sure it was a perk, but she liked him for so many other reasons…

Back in her room, Aurora wrote Rudy an owl in return, already wearing his shirt and curled up against her plush pillows. The bed was a huge canopy bed, with white lace and light pink and yellow accents. It was beautiful and Victorian in style, and so much more comfortable than the couch she had been sleeping on. She often envisioned her and Rudy making love on a bed like this. It was just a bit more romantic than their couch at school and it gave her butterflies just thinking about. Folding up the pair of black lace booty-shorts she had been wearing, Aurora tucked them into a new envelope and sprayed a fresh piece of parchment with her perfume before writing.

* * *

Rudy,

Your poor owl flew twice the distance to find me, for I have uprooted myself from Jordan and am spending the remainder of my vacation with Grandmother Bruseau in southern France. The accommodations are more comfortable and practical here, despite her list of rules and regulations I must follow. It is worth it to be back where there is snow and plenty of food. My days are pretty uneventful, however, despite the new setting. I get awoken every morning by her personal stylist who prepares me for the day (you should see how they make me dress; I feel like a lace and pearl explosion some days!), and I have to attend every meal when a bell is rung. Grandmother graciously bought me the latest books on Astronomy, and even one on Astrology, so I have been submerged in those during my hours of study. Thankfully, I am not hooked up with some ridiculous tutor like you. Though you hardly need it; I know your talent far surpasses any other students'. Every afternoon I get to spend an hour doing ballet with a private instructor, though, and it's reminding me just how much I miss dancing. If I could drop Hogwarts and just dance and watch the stars, I would. I wish there was a field that accommodated both passions…my nights are considerably duller without you. I cannot play my music or leave the house. Or let anyone in. Sometimes I consider escaping through my balcony and using the trellis to get out of the villa, but then I remember I don't even have any place to go to. I just hate how quiet it gets right before I fall asleep. Even with the fire going, I have to imagine you breathing into my ear, otherwise sleep simply does not happen.

I miss you, and the shirt you sent is already the only thing on me, almost as if you were here yourself holding me in your arms. Grandmother Bruseau found out about us today…and I don't think she believed me at first. I don't know why my relatives find it so hard to believe…well, maybe I do. Who would expect my first boyfriend to be a Lestrange? She seems to have it in her mind, however, that I am using you to up my standings in society, though that's hardly the case. She would even defy my father and tell me to be intimate with you, just so I assure myself a "way out of this mess." I never knew my blood was a mess…

If I could find the words to yell at you, I would. You should never have sent so much money, Rudy! I have never even held HALF that amount and I feel like a thief when it sits in my hands so perfectly. That is why tomorrow I intend to spend the vast majority of it on the sexiest dress I can find, just so I don't feel so greedy! Which reminds me, I may see you sooner than we thought. Grandmother Bruseau is insisting I accompany her to the masquerade that Antoinette's family is throwing. And as much as I despite the idea of dressing up and frolicking among the rich and snooty, I am hopeful that somehow I can find you amidst the masks and have a moment to at least look into your eyes if nothing more. I understand the risk of being there with you, so I will not ask more of you. But just to look upon you, would satisfy me for another few weeks. Then again, it may just turn out no one knows who I am anyway, in which case, beware the wandering hand that may just seek out your ass…

I send all my love, my heart, and my thoughts…as well as the underwear you so subtly suggested. Don't let Rabastan catch sight of them however. We don't need him jealous too.

Kisses…and lots of naughty gestures,

Aurora

* * *

The following morning, the usual routine occurred and Aurora was woken up bright and early to be dressed and prepped for the day. Except this time, she was cornered and measured so that the hired staff could begin shopping for her masquerade costume. Grandmother Bruseau watched as she was, getting measured herself and talking ideas with the costume designers.

"Maybe a peacock…we could use their feathers for a mask…" She said in regards to her own costume. The maid scribbled the ideas down. "Or a fox. We could do a dress of deep reds and oranges and long flowing feathers. Aura belle, what are you thinking?"

"Something that allows me room to breathe?" Aurora winced as the designer pulled the tape measure tight around her waist. "Nothing too fancy."

"Nonsense. You're going as Aurora Bruseau, not Sinistra. You will look and act just as regal as the next pureblood. Fancy is in your genes. Maybe a bird of some sort? A swan or dove…nothing white. It's not suitable for winter…what about gold? It would go with your hair darling…or blue, to match those eyes of yours…"  
Aurora shrugged. She didn't care what she wore, and she knew any suggestions she had would just be overruled anyway so she kept quiet. When the measuring had been completed, Aurora dressed in the outfit Cissy had bought her, but threw a gray leather jacket over it, to work against the chill. Her heels were also replaced with some boots, but she thought she still looked pretty good. She informed the doormen and then hit the streets of Paris where she toured all the most expensive shops, trying on what seemed like hundred of dresses until she found the one she wanted. The people treated her like royalty, even without Cissy. Truthfully, Aurora had just decided to act like Cissy and it seemed to work. The employees waited on her every need and pulled for her the most expensive dresses in the store. She was offered coffee and rolls at nearly every stop, and everyone complimented her on her outfit. Aurora didn't know if she liked it. It seemed too fake to her. Like they were obligated to treat her well…granted it was better than being kicked in a locker room, but she just wanted sincerity. Like Rudy when he kissed her, or looked her in the eyes to say that he loved her. That was honesty and true flattery. And as Aurora looked at herself in the mirror, wearing the silky long, dark blue dress, she pictured Rudy's grin and his compliments. Those were the only words that mattered to her.

With a low back and a long slit up the front, the dress accentuated all of Aurora's best features and hugged her curves like a glove. The color made her eyes pop and it moved with her like the swirling of the wind. It was flawless and even the employees stopped to gawk at her. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the dress. After purchasing it, Aurora went on to buy some diamond-studded heels that cost almost as much as the dress itself. She couldn't help it—she wanted to get rid of that money and the shoes were to die for. So with two very expensive items in tow, Aurora bought a few less expensive pieces of clothing and then returned to her Grandmother's villa a few hours later. In the parlor, she stopped to say hello to Grandmother Bruseau, but stopped short when she saw the costumes on mannequins, taking up half the room. One was dressed in a large, regal looking red dress with bunches of fabric revealing layers of brilliant orange and yellow. The sleeves were puffy and the bodice embroidered with rubies and glittering lace. Next to it, a less puffy dress shimmered just as elegantly under the chandelier. The long skirt was a glistening gold material with hand embroidery, and the long sleeved top gave the illusion that it was nothing more than gold rope twisted around Aurora's naked front, when in reality it was a sheer colored fabric with gold rope spider-webbing all over her. But that wasn't the best part. The bodice was a solid plate of gold with detailed designs on it so extravagant even Grandmother Bruseau seemed impressed. Aurora's jaw dropped as she stepped in and eyed her costume.

"Is this…mine?" She asked and Grandmother Bruseau nodded happily.

"Isn't it gorgeous?" She asked with a slight clapping of her hands. "I think you'll look just stunning."

Aurora circled the dress that was still getting adjusted and hemmed by the costume designers. "Are you sure it's not too much?"

Grandmother Bruseau harrumphed. "No such thing. You'll be the hit of the masquerade if I can help it."

Aurora grimaced and fingered the tight bodice. There was no way she was breathing in that. And as beautiful as it was, Aurora felt embarrassed already wearing something quite so over-done. But Grandmother Bruseau looked so approving that she knew it would be useless to argue. So she gave her grandmother a hug and retreated to her room, feeling the butterflies at the prospect of seeing Rudy so soon.

* * *

Aurora:

You always surprise me. Now you are in France, instead of Jordan? I feel as though my heart will burst knowing you are so close, and being yet unable to come to you as soon as I had enough spare moments to read your letter. I am glad you've left whatever danger lay in the place you were staying. I am beginning to think that the place was not so comfortable as I had originally imagined, and for that I am glad you are with your grandmother, no matter how strict she is. Though I suppose my daydreams of Jordanian Aurora always involved veils and dancing, and strange, foreign music in the background, and the hypnotic sway of your body and the allure of your eyes. I have still made little effort to picture the place at all, in comparison with the effort I spent in delicately concocting visions of you that make us both blush.

The way you talk of dancing surprises me as well. You seem so shy about it, whenever your hands are in mine; is it simply because the steps we take together are more clumsy than the grace ballet endowed you with? I confess: I wish desperately to see you in a leotard and tiny slippers, your beautiful legs stretched towards me. You musn't tell your grandmother the way that we dance together, though; the muggle music would leave her ashamed of me, and we would be forbidden to dance at the masquerade, and the event would be wholly unredeemable. Your gaze is not enough for me. I must have all of you, multiple times over, before I shall be satisfied.

I have another confession: I wish you see you with your hair done up and your body unclothed but for my shirt. The impertinence of the image sends my nose into your beautiful underwear and my thoughts to distant places. Your hair up, and my shirt, and I shall make you sit in a pile of gold so that you become comfortable with the sight and touch of galleons, and stop cursing everyone who attempts to send them your way. Be grateful. They are gifts that I am happy to give. I hope that whatever dress you choose is to your own liking, and I hope that whatever leftover money there is will make up for my absence and the rule of your tyrannical grandmother. I myself have had the misfortune of dining with her once or twice; you may not believe me, but she is among the better choices of polite company. I almost enjoyed her until she lectured me at length about maverick stunt flying.

At any rate, I am certain she is better than my dull life of tutors and daydreams. I haven't left the manor yet, and while the place is large, I still start to feel trapped after a few days. I could spend days in the tiny attic with you—but days in this manor with hardly as interesting company are murderous. You are quite right; I do not need the charms tutor for the things we are studying now, but only because I had a charms tutor this summer, and he was much more thorough. You will see through me now; any apparent talent comes from rote memory and extreme advance preparation. I am no more a wizard than any other at school—I have just studied longer and harder and more efficiently than anyone else has. Were I intelligent, I would manage to win a game of chess against Rabastan. The boy is unbeatable.

The last and greatest of all surprises: that my Christmas should be graced with you. Do not doubt that I will find you at that silly masquerade, and do not doubt that I shall spend the entirety of it with you. I have said it already: your gaze does not sate me. Look for me; I shall have to greet the guests at the beginning of the ball because Antoinette has made me one of the royal court. A prince! How dull. I always wish to be one of the Guard or one of the robbers—they always have interesting parts to play in the evening's drama. Do you even know what I'm talking about? There is always a drama in the middle of a masquerade… At any rate, my mask is part of my crown, and I know you will recognize me by my smell.

My ass looks forward to your greeting. How it misses you! Perhaps if I could predict your responses to my letters, I could imagine you better and miss you less. As it is, there is but one remedy: You must answer my letters again, and quickly. And again, and more quickly, until I am to see you… when I shall remember every detail of your face I had forgotten, and be ever the more surprised by your beauty and how it drives my love for you into dizzying spiraling climbs.

I am not to be outdone, however; I am enclosing a surprise for you. I am certain you will know what it is for once you lay a hand on it. It is my solid naughty gesture, and I demand that you tell me of its effectiveness at Christmas. The prince commands it. Firmly, but as always, with great love and affection and adoration of his beloved.

I love you, I love you, I love you, and I cannot wait to see you, and kiss you, and hold you close to me. I writhe in the agony of anticipation.

Rudy.

* * *

"RABASTAN!" Rudy left the scroll open on his desk, but it rolled itself up and stuffed itself into a drawer, blanked until Rudy saw it again. "RABASTAN!" He flung open the doors of his chambers and bellowed into the rest of the house. "RABASTAN WHERE ARE YOU?"

A door down the hall flew open and Rabastan stood there silently.

Rudy hurried up to him. "I need an old issue of playwizard—that one with the Young Wizard's Nurse on the cover—I think it was July—"

Rabastan stared at him. "You need _what?"_

"Come on, don't sneer at me like Aunt Jeorga. I know you keep them. I want to look up a spell. Where's your stash? Or you can go get it. I think it's July."

"You are unbelievable." Rabastan moved to shut the door, but Rudy grabbed it with his hand and wrenched it back open.

"Come on!" Rudy pleaded.

"Where are yours?"

"At school," Rudy said, as though this was the most obvious answer anyone could give.

"I don't have it," said Rabastan, and turned away from the door.

"What? You seriously don't have any?"

"I don't have _July_," Rabastan said shortly, and stared at the floor of his chambers.

Rudy took notice of the place for the first time. "What on earth are you doing?" The floor was littered with tiny statues and upright Chocolate Frog cards, two animated model quidditch players wrestling with each other near Rabastan's fireplace. He nudged a chocolate frog card towards them, and the tornado player capitulated, or so it seemed. The card hopped its way back to its original position.

"I am considering," Rabastan said, "The merits of starting a muggle land war in Asia."

It seemed to make sense to Rudy, now that he looked. Rabastan's floor had been superimposed with a map of the world . Rudy was standing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean; Rabastan himself seemed lord of the Saharan desert. Germany and Russia were beginning to shake their fists at each other.

"And what is the use of muggle land war in Asia?"

"Instability in Asia decreases the value of silk but increases the value of African gold, which lends stability to the Galleon. English and French finances would triple."

"Oh," Rudy said.

"There seem to be other problems, though." Rabastan sighed. "Germany is such a hassle. Part of me wishes someone would let them have their silly little conquest—let them have Poland, if they want it—they'd shut up and make the world so much more manageable."

Rudy shook his head, not understanding a word of what his brother was talking about. "You are a decidedly evil genius, Robby, trying to run the world."

"Don't call me Robby. Owl Nott if you want a spare playwizard. Or go visit the Veloce's. And I am not trying to run the world—I am merely studying it. The Athenian conquests are outlined over there." Rabastan pointed across the room without looking at it, and when Rudy turned his head, there was sure enough another map on the floor, another set of animated cards and quidditch men grappling with each other.

"Whatever," Rudy said, and exited the room back into the hall. He didn't have time to send the letter to Gregg—he wanted to send his letter to Aurora now! His letter and the charmed wooden spoon—it would shake when she touched it. He pictured the look on her face and he hoped he would get a glimpse of it if he asked her how she liked it.

He just couldn't remember the spell! He laid his head back on the wall of the corridor and let his eyes fall shut. He knew charms theory—surely he could reason it out—

Rudy ran for his Latin syllabary. In minutes, he had figured out the spell for himself, and sent the letter away with Aramis. He threw himself back in his chair grinning like a madman, surveying his own reflection from a mirror across the room.

"Rudy," he said to his own image, "you are a devil."

He draped Aurora's underwear over his face again, staring up at the ceiling, enveloped by her smell. He could already see her, kneeling with her head thrown back—

A loud CRACK! Startled him from his daydreams, and instantly Rudy sat up and tucked the underwear into his pocket.

"Oh," he said shortly, "it's just you, Dizzy. What's up?"

"Mistress is asking young Master to be coming down to the drawing room to be seeing his costume," Dizzy said.

"Got it," Rudy said, stretching. He crammed the underwear inside his desk and ambled his slow, thoughtful way downstairs. Rudy the king of his own castle, of ancient days, and Aurora his bride—sitting in a throne covered with fine furs, and Aurora sauntering towards him—

The sight of his costume jerked him out of his reverie. "WHAT is THAT?"

He strode up to the outfit on the mannequin in the middle of the room, the crown draped over the neck. The whole thing was done in patterns of black and white diamonds—lurid orange was splashed in strange places and even for a period costume, the pants were overly baggy. The fanned collar he was to wear around his neck was hung with little purple teardrops. All in all, the thing was utterly hideous.

"I won't do it," Rudy said, turning around and looking for his mother. "No. Forget it. Get something else."

She cracked a wry grin at him. "You don't like it?"

"No!" Rudy snapped.

"The invitation said that your costume should be in the style of a playing card—I think you'll look suitably over dramatized."

"THERE ARE BELLS ON THOSE SHOES! I AM NOT A JOKER, I AM A JACK! A PRINCE!"

Rudy's mother collapsed back into her chair in silent laughter. "Oh, he was right—the look on your face—"

Rabastan emerged from around the corner, a single eyebrow raised and a smirk playing across his lips.

"YOU put her up to this?"

Rabastan gave no response.

"No. Nooooo. No, by all the Circean pantheon. I won't do it." Rudy shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"Who are you telling this to?" Rabastan said. "Us, or yourself?"

"What do you get to wear?" Rudy demanded.

"Dressrobes," Rabastan said simply.

Rudy swore under his breath.

"That's what you've got," Rabastan proclaimed, nodding at the outrageous costume. He drew his wand and levitated the crown above it. The word "DUNCE" was written across it in bright purple stones.

Rudy's face utterly fell looking at it.

"No…" But he hardly meant it anymore.

"Rabastan, stop it," Magriette scolded. "It's just a joke, Rudy. Look. Your brother is going to rival you in transfiguration someday."

She waved her wand at the mannequin, and with a slight puff of dust the fool's costume disappeared. Instead of the ostentatious crown that had appeared before, there was a simple golden circlet, with blood red rubies and jet green emeralds pressed into the pattern of holly that twined around it; leaf and berry with a golden backing. Over a white shirt with just the right amount of ruffle, his jerkin was a deep gold, with red and green woven into another elegant pattern of holly. A sword belt hung low on the mannequin, and the pants were fitted. They would look tight on him, but Rudy figured anything was better than the gigantic pants he had just seen.

He smirked. "I like the boots," he said slowly, and approached the costume. "What are you and dad going as?"

"Abraxans," Magriette replied shortly. "He thought they sounded regal."

"I will get you back for this," Rudy pointed at Rabastan.

"Stop interrupting my land wars in Asia," Rabastan said, and snickered. "I'm going as your valet, according to the invitation." Rabastan rolled his eyes. "My costume is much cooler."

Rudy cocked an eyebrow. "Literally," Rabastan said. "It'll breathe. You'd better wear deodorant. That's silk and velvet, and I feel sorry for you."

Rudy flinched and looked back at the costume. He would look fantastic, but Rabastan was right—it would be terribly uncomfortable to wear.

"Have we gotten word about the drama, yet?"

"Yes," Magriette replied. "You're both spending the day in France tomorrow. Antoinette is throwing a party that evening, after scripting the play. I haven't spoken to your father about it, but I imagine you can both stay as late as you wish."

"I'll be home early," Rudy announced. "You know I will be."

"Even if Aurora is there?"

"She won't be," Rudy said.

Magriette smiled. "You wouldn't be opposed to bringing a letter to Madame Bruseau, would you? While you are in France?"

Rudy blinked.

"Gossip travels quickly, love," she said. "I suggest you send your ideas to Antoinette today to save you some time tomorrow."

"That's formal courting," Rudy blurted out, staring bug-eyed at his mother.

"It is only formal courting if you announce it and she proffers an escort. You are simply delivering a letter," Magriette laughed, and winked at him as she left the room.

* * *

_Thank you for reading; please review!_


	39. The Craft of Courting

**The Sinistriad  
**_Atta-Nycol_

CHAPTER 39

* * *

Rudy couldn't sleep. He had just sent that wicked owl to Aurora, and now his waking and his dreaming was plagued with the thought of seeing her tomorrow, of his mother's clever approval of the match. It was too much to hope for! Rudy turned over in his bed, staring at the embers of the fire as they hissed and spat and smoldered. Too much to hope for; that it would eventually be all together perfectly done. His father would find out, and they would all be in so much trouble! Rudy's ebullience was not listening to reason, however. He was much too excited. When he did wake, he found Aurora's underwear still clasped in his fist, and a return owl from Antoinette sat on his plate at the breakfast table, his wand on top of it. Rudy snatched it up in his hand with utter relish. It felt so good to go out in public—to get away from this house, to hold his wand, to be seeing Aurora. Life was almost as normal as it could be, if not for silly Antoinette and her drama planning.

Her letter said that she approved of most of his ideas, and had melded them with some of her own. She also said that she'd spent the night dreaming up most of the script with some of her girlfriends that had come to stay the night with her and plan. All the boys had to do was show up and be given their instructions. The day was almost entirely left for fun!

Rudy rolled his eyes and scribbled a note back to Antoinette, saying that he was expected to make a stop by the Bruseau household in the late afternoon, and may not return for dinner, though he was looking forward to the morning and luncheon with the Fortefleuves and seeing their ideas come together.

A short while later, Rudy, Rabastan, and Magriette took an elegant portkey to the French terminal station, and from there, apparated to the Fortefleuve mansion. Magriette was greeted warmly by Antoinette's mother, Sandrine, and the boys were ushered quickly into the vast ballroom of the Fortfleuve mansion, their costumes draped over their arms.

Antoinette squealed, already in her own queenly garb. She looked almost garish.

"Rudy, you will look positively dashing!" She threw her arms around his neck and bent in to kiss him, but Rudy withdrew quickly, thinking fast. He bowed at the waist.

"Milady," he said, taking her hand and kissing it. "Would it be right for a mother to embrace her own son, so?"

Antoinette sighed happily. "You," she said shortly, "are perfect. Meet the rest of the court," she said, gesturing behind her. "We're just waiting on Gregg—he's captain of the Guard, this year." Rudy nodded. He'd figured as much—Gregg fit the part well. Rudy thought he fitted it better, but if he had his way he might have an interesting part in the drama this year after all.

Antoinette pointed out a few others—her own brother was King, these were her lady's maids, those were the rest of the guard, and—

Rudy's wand was out before it had a chance to shoot sparks. Thomas Avery was standing a short distance away, dressed in rich and heavy bishop's robes, his hat tucked under his arm.

Avery sneered.

"Rudy?" Antoinette put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'd put that away, Lestrange," Avery said. "I'd hate for you to lose it permanently."

Rudy quivered with rage at the mere sight of him, standing there haughtily and sneering. "Who'd be there to stick up for your pretty little whore if you didn't go back to Hogwarts with a wand?"

The ground began to warm Rudy's shoes, and the room gave a slight groan of protest as the glass warped in the window panes.

Rabastan snatched Rudy's wand out of his hand abruptly, and stood between him and Avery.

"Not now," he said forcefully, and raised both eyebrows at Rudy. "There's nothing here that calls for it."

Rudy nearly hit Rabastan, but then mastered himself and looked around at Avery, snickering next to a few of the other boys in attendance. They were French—Rudy hardly recognized them.

Nott entered, and every silent face turned to look at him. Nott curiously glanced around the room, and seeing Avery, he slowly nodded his hello to Rudy. After a moment, Rudy snatched his wand away from Rabastan and turned his back on Avery. "Whenever you're ready, Antoinette," he snapped, stowing his searing wand and taking his crown from his left arm. He slung it over his head, and relished the moments that unfolded. Avery's part was nearly nonexistent, save for a single scene—but Rudy dominated that one with an elegant speech, and Avery was retired from the stage.

Avery left early, but it had little to do with Rudy's presence. He was courting a young lady, and was expected at her home for dinner that evening. Rudy stayed in the ballroom much later than many of the other guests, helping Antoinette to choreograph dances after lunch, and to proffer his speeches to Antoinette for approval.

When he finally made it away that afternoon, Rudy found himself almost nervous. He had no gift for Aurora—should he have brought something? Would Madame Bruseau invite him in, if he came calling with no gift for her other than a letter? His stomach was in knots as he apprated to the front of her home, ascending the steps up towards her door.

A butler opened it before he could knock.

Rudy did not bow. "Young Master Lestrange, here to see Madame Bruseau on behalf of my mother, Magriette," he said, and strode past the butler and into the house. The butler shut the door quietly and ushered him into a sitting room that was tastefully done, if richly. He sat, and accepted tea from a maid who bustled in with a cart.

Rudy stood as the grand lady entered. "Madame," he said, bowing elegantly. She curtseyed back at him with a tight smile, a piercing gaze, and very little movement. She clearly felt herself superior.

Rudy retrieved the letter from his breast pocket and held it out. "I was bidden to bring this directly to you on behalf of my mother," Rudy said.

"Please, sit," she said, and gestured to the chair Rudy had formally occupied. She swept herself onto a small couch and perched perfectly on the very edge of it. She drew her wand and slid open the envelope, and began to read.

When finished, she looked up at Rudy, her eyes piercing.

"You are Rodolphus Lestrange?"

Rudy was utterly confused. He nodded, and then spoke. "Yes, madame."

"Sometimes known as Rudy?"

"Informally, Madame. You may call me Rudy if you—"

"My granddaughter is in the library upstairs," she said, shortly. "She would like to see you, I imagine. I will draft a response to Magriette during your visit." She dismissed him with a flick of her hand, and Rudy stood. A butler led him out.

* * *

Aurora was perched near a window, sitting next to the telescope with an elegant globe drawn very close to her chair. As Rudy approached, he could see that it was not decorated with land and city, but with stars.

"My lady Aurora," he said, his heart nearly bursting with the effort of not running to her.

Aurora didn't respond. She turned the globe a fraction of an inch, a pencil still in her hand, and scribbled something down.

Rudy frowned. "Hey, starshine, over here," he said shortly, and Aurora froze. She turned around in her chair after a moment, and Rudy was as transported as her surprised smile.

"Rudy!" She gasped, and stood, kicking the chair away from her. Rudy had to stifle a laugh as she came towards him. She had been right—her shirt had a ruffle that went all the way down the middle, and her ears were hung with the same pearls her hair was tied up in.

She did not give him much time for looking, though. Almost immediately she was on his lips, kissing him, holding him close by the collar of his shirt.

Rudy broke away. "You'll embarrass the butler," he said, laughing.

"I don't care," Aurora replied, but she laid her head on his chest and inhaled his smell. Rudy could smell her hair and her scent and her wonderful perfume.

"You are divine," he said slowly, wrapping his arms around her.

"What are you doing here?" Aurora asked, looking up into his face. "Does grandmother know that you're in the house?"

"Yes," Rudy admitted. "I came on the pretext of bringing a letter from my mother. I wanted to see you."

Aurora touched his face, was shortly kissing him again. This time, Rudy did not stop her. He could feel her nails in the nape of his neck, and his hands slid down the silken back of her shirt and over her pants—

"I missed you, Rudy," Aurora sighed.

"I love you so much," He replied, and went back to kissing her neck.

"Children," came a sudden snap from across the room. Rudy and Aurora broke apart quickly, a slight slurping sound coming away from Rudy's mouth as it broke away from Aurora's neck. "Honestly! At least save your intimacy for privacy."

"It was private, before you came in," Aurora said mulishly.

Her grandmother glared at her. "I will not be spoken to that way, Aurora. You will curb your father's attitude, especially in front of guests!"

Rudy could barely contain his laughter.

"She can be impertinent, Madame, but I assure you she is otherwise very accomplished."

The glare was turned at Rudy, and he hung his head in amused contrition.

"Be that as it may," she said, though a little more softly, "I will not have public displays of affection befouling my library. You, Rodolphus, Rudy, whoever you are, may take this response to your mother."

Rudy took the envelope with a slight bow. "Thank you, Madame Bru—"

"Please call me Evette. Madame Evette."

Rudy inclined his head. "Thank you, Madame Evette."

"Would you care to stay to dinner?"

"P—pardon?" Rudy stammered.

"I am asking you if you would join my granddaughter and I for our evening meal."

"Certainly," Rudy responded, and smiled happily at Aurora. She beamed back at him.

"It will be served in an hour's time—do try not to disgrace yourselves further before then," she said, and exited the library again.

Aurora made a face at her back as she left, and Rudy's snort was almost noticed, but not quite.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Rudy let his laugh go. "Impertinent to a T—" he said, as Aurora swatted him.

"How dare you side with her!"

Rudy just laughed, and swept her into his arms again. "Tell me what you've been doing with this lovely contraption," Rudy said, and lifted Aurora off of her feet. He sat in her chair, and perched his girlfriend on his lap.

"Mostly, I have been staring at it and attempting to avoid thinking about your letter and your gift," Aurora said, squirming playfully against Rudy.

"And have you tried it, yet?"

Aurora shook her head.

"You better have experience by Christmas," Rudy warned.

"Or what?"

"Or I shall ensure that you have it before you leave the ball," Rudy said, letting his hands wander.

Aurora smacked his hand. "You wouldn't dare."

Rudy reached past her smack boldly, pressing his hand between her legs with relish. "I would," he said. "I can do whatever I want—I'm the crown prince."

"Not here, "Aurora whispered hoarsely.

"You always say that, when we're not in the attic," he said, and touched her again.

Aurora let out a hoarse breath. "West wing—I'll show you the gardens," she said, getting up and pulling Rudy after her.

* * *

The door to Aurora's chambers closed with a light click, Rudy was standing in front of her, watching as she shut the doors, his arms crossed over his strapping chest. She loved the way he stood.

"I don't know what to do to you first," she said, standing her own ground.

Rudy snickered. "I know exactly what I'm going to do to you." He drew his wand and conjured a wooden spoon, catching it deftly as it fell out the end of his wand. "Come here."

Aurora gaped at him.

"I said come here," Rudy commanded again, and still Aurora didn't move.

"Impertinent and rebellious," Rudy smirked, and walked towards her. He kissed her forcefully, and Aurora's hands went to his face. Rudy reached up and pressed her hand against his cheek, slid his fingers gently down her arm, dug them into the soft flesh there.

He tugged on it suddenly, twisting Aurora's arm, but not cruelly, tugged it down so that Aurora bent slightly over. Rudy dealt her several soft smacks with the wooden spoon.

He let her go, and she stood up immediately, looking at him so intently. A mixture of desire and confusion and fear and excitement…

Rudy pushed Aurora towards the bed, the fluffy four-poster beckoning to him with the slit of its canopy. He pushed her back onto it, and set the spoon against her. Drawing his wand, he pointed it at the spoon wordlessly. Letting the charmed thing sit for a moment, he then pushed it down Aurora's pant-leg and then up into her.

Aurora moaned, grabbing at Rudy's wrist with both her hands. "You'll muss my hair," she keened softly, and Rudy laughed.

"I should hope so."

* * *

Aurora both hated and loved the smug chuckle she heard from Rudy. He was such a smartass—knew exactly what to do, where to touch, to make her a trembling mess. Aurora reached up and grabbed a fist of his hair, yanking him down to her lips in hopes of quieting herself. She had this horrible image of her grandmother or one of the butlers walking in on them, but she was in no state to lock the door. So she fought the moans and whimpers and buried her lips into his. He was chuckling again and she held onto him, pressing herself more urgently into his hands. Her jaw clenched, she closed her eyes and bit into his shoulder, muffling the loud cry that escaped her. Rudy watched her, the way her entire body tensed and clung to him, and was even impressed by how hard she bit him. He slowly eased the spoon off of her and wrapped her in his arms. He could feel the heat from her body.

"You…are an…inhumane…jackass…" Aurora stammered into his shoulder, her grip still tight on him.

"So you liked it then," Rudy smirked down at her. Aurora groaned quietly.

Rudy let her slowly fall onto her back where she brushed the loose hair from her face and looked up at him with intense eyes. But his eyes were not caught; they were traveling freely. She was still clothed, but he could imagine what lie underneath…and he craved it. Aurora noticed him staring and harrumphed, bending a knee up to her chest and unbuckling one of her heels.

"A galleon for your thoughts?" She asked quietly, tossing the shoe to the side and doing likewise with the other. Once those were off, she nonchalantly slid her pants off the rest of the way and let them drop to the floor.

"You don't have that much money," Rudy grunted, his eyes trained on the curve of her legs. He reached down with one hand and gently slid his fingers up the length of her thigh.

Aurora's hands flew up to Rudy's shoulders and pushed him onto his back, sitting up and straddling his lap in one unexpected move. He blinked up at her, looking surprised by this sudden change in power and then his smirk returned.

"You pay me, remember?" Aurora said, looking down at his shirt and removing a piece of fuzz. "Take it off."

"Make me."

Aurora paused and stared down at him. He tucked his arms behind his head and grinned smugly up at her. There was a moment of unwavering tension and then Aurora's hand reached behind her and grabbed between his legs with such force Rudy jerked and yelped.

"WHAT THE—"

"Take it off."

Rudy's knees were bent and he was breathing fast now, propped up on his elbows and staring at her with wide eyes.

"Vixen."

"Chicken."

Rudy snorted and the shirt came off immediately.

"Better…" Aurora mumbled, planting a soft kiss on his lips. He reached up and cupped her face with one hand, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb.

"Circe I've missed you."

Aurora laughed quietly and kissed him again, letting her nails scratch lightly at his chest. "Missed you more…and I mean it. I didn't think this bloody vacation would ever end. You were all I could think about."

Rudy smiled sadly up at her, and guided her face down to kiss her again. He kissed her completely, and deeply. Soon her fingers found their way to his hair and his lips slid from hers to her neck. She inhaled sharply and shivered at the feel of his scruff scratching the sensitive spots under her ear and his lips rubbing her skin raw.

"Rudy…?" She breathed against his ear, shifting against his lap where she could feel his desire pressing against the fabric separating them. "Take me…"

* * *

Aurora carefully leaned back into the pillows and Rudy slowly relaxed against her, laying his head on the pillow next to her and kissing her cheek and jaw repeatedly, softly. He closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath, sheltering her smaller body under his and focusing on her hands gently stroking his back. Her legs were still wrapped around him and his body was slick with the sweat he had worked up over the few minutes it had taken him to make love to her. Aurora's eyes wandered around the canopy of the bed, smiling lightly to herself. It was just how she had imagined it and better. She could hold him now, smell him and feel his skin rubbing against hers. She loved him, everything about him, and she turned her head just to rest her cheek on his and speak softly in his ear.

"Rudy, I love you. It's been unbearable without you. I imagined this moment every night, just so I could fall asleep. I am addicted to your smell, and your touch, and your kiss…I don't know that I can live without you. You're just so—so wonderful. You are _so _wonderful, Rudy…"

Rudy's hand came up to her cheek and he slid his face out from under her so he could look into her eyes. He saw what he thought he would and he smiled gently at her.

"I love you starshine, my starshine. You are the best thing to happen to me." He kissed the tip of her nose and smiled at her. He could almost swear he saw her eyes twinkle.

"Dinner's going to be ready soon." They were hardly speaking above a whisper.

"Do you suppose you grandmother will like me?"

"Are you kidding? You sided with her. You've already earned points."

They shared a quiet laugh and Rudy laid his head back down, closing his eyes again, resting until they were called.

"Rudy?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you told your parents about us?"

Rudy didn't respond right away. And when he did, it was half-heartedly. "I told you my mother said hello. She's the one that sent me here."

Aurora meant to ask about his father, but at that moment there was a knock on the door and a butler called for dinner from outside the door.

Rudy groaned and Aurora giggled, giving his back a pat.

"Come on mister ruthless. If you can shag me like the furies are after you, you can manage a dinner."

Rudy laughed and sat up slowly, helping Aurora up with him.

"I had been wanting to do that for a very, very long time…"

"I know," Aurora smiled. "I had been wanting you to do that for a very, very long time."

They kissed once more and quickly tried to get themselves looking presentable for dinner. Aurora was still pinning up her hair as they hurried down the hallway towards the dining room and Rudy had to bite back a laugh at how ruffled Aurora looked in her haste. They both fumbled into the room where Grandmother Bruseau sat at the head of table, tapping her fingers impatiently. She glared at Aurora as the two young lovers entered and took their seats. Aurora sat to the right of Grandmother Bruseau, and Rudy next to Aurora. Another woman sat on the left of Grandmother Bruseau, whom was introduced as Madame Fjelde. She had long been Grandmother Bruseau's partner for card nights and lived a few blocks down. Aurora vaguely remembered her annoying poodle collection that would bark whenever you'd walk by her white picket fence.

Aurora had hardly placed her napkin in her lap when Grandmother Bruseau pulled out her wand and aimed it at Aurora's neck. The collar of her shirt immediately rose and tightened.

"You must learn to hide such things, Aurora." She said sternly and Rudy shook his head in amusement. Both he and Aurora hadn't even taken into consideration the love marks he had dealt to her neck. Aurora's face flushed bright red.

"Is this the Lestrange boy you were telling me about Evette?" Madame Fjelde asked, extending her hand towards Rudy.

Rudy took it and kissed her knuckles politely. "Rodolphus Lestrange, Madame."

"Yes, he is Aurora's newest discovery…" Grandmother Bruseau glanced between Aurora and Rudy and seemed to sense their legs intertwining under the table or Aurora's hand resting adoringly on Rudy's leg. "He only just stopped by to deliver a letter, but it seems they have already become inseparable."

Madame Fjelde inspected Rudy over her diamond-studded spectacles and the maids brought in the salads on crystal dishes. Small cups of dressing were already on the table and Rudy gave Aurora's hand a squeeze before taking a bite of the crisp leaves. Aurora ate silently next to him, their legs still touching. When the main course was served, Grandmother Bruseau turned her attention towards Rudy who sat decidedly more erect in his chair and answered each of her questions with suave answers. She looked impressed.

"Transfiguration you say?" Grandmother Bruseau repeated Rudy's answer to what his subject of choice was. "Not many would pick such a meticulous subject matter. You must like looking into the finer details, seeing things not for what they are but for what they could be. Do you seek out potential, Rodolphus?"

Rudy shrugged and finished chewing his piece of roast beef. "I suppose so. Your granddaughter once summed it up nicely. I like manipulating objects and words. Poetry, you see, is my other passion. To sit in silence and write that which you know, that which you do not know but wish to, and to manipulate words to flow like honey…it is like transfiguration in that way. You manipulate objects and turn them into what you want or need."

Grandmother Bruseau raised her eyebrows and looked at Madame Fjelde who sucked some garlic potatoes off her spoon.

"You write poetry? That's not something many men would admit." Fjelde said in her low voice.

"You should not hide your passions," Rudy smiled, glancing at Aurora who blushed at his smooth conversation.

Grandmother Bruseau swirled her wine around the glass as she watched them, and then asked quite bluntly, "And do you hide my granddaughter, Rodolphus? Pardon my observation, but I have been told of your father's dealings with Peter Sinistra. Do I have reason to worry?"

"Grandmother!" Aurora scolded, but Rudy set a gentle hand on her arm, shaking his head to quiet her protests. It was a legitimate question that he was getting used to.

"I am not my father, Madame Evette. I love Aurora and if she is hidden, it is not because my love is in question. It is because I wish to protect her…and therefore remove you of any worry."

Aurora looked up at Rudy with eyes that threatened to probe him of all the secrets he had just hinted at, and she hated it that her grandmother seemed to understand his personal life better than she did. But now was not the time to press Rudy for more information, despite Aurora wanting to. When Rudy caught her eye, he just smiled and went back to eating as if it had just been big talk. No matter what it was, however, by dessert he had Grandmother Bruseau and Madame Fjelde wrapped around his finger, laughing and talking with him as though he were a family friend. Aurora said little, comfortable letting Rudy have the spotlight and happier to enjoy her dessert and feel Rudy's occasional hand on her leg, or foot caressing hers. Still, the end of dinner seemed to come too soon and Grandmother Bruseau immediately informed Rudy that he had to leave.

"I'm sorry, Rodolphus, but there is no company after dinner. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course," Rudy nodded with a gracious smile. "And thank you again for dinner. Your company, and the food, was most enjoyable."

As he kissed each of the women's hands, Aurora waited patiently at the front door for him.

"You are welcome anytime," Grandmother Bruseau assured him, and then nodded towards Aurora. "I will leave you to your farewells, then. But not too long, Aurora!"

Aurora shook her head as Rudy snickered at her grandmother's warning. He sauntered up to her and wrapped his arms around her, her sad eyes boring into his and her body going slightly limp against his strong frame.

"I don't want you to go," She whined quietly, craning her neck to get a quick kiss.

"I know. I don't want to go either. Today went so fast…"

He kissed her again and again, unable to let her go and make it the last one.

"I will find you at the masquerade, I hope," Aurora said between his warm kisses. "I have to. I won't leave until I do."

"Just look for the crown prince," Rudy chuckled. "The sexiest one there. Shouldn't be hard."

Aurora slapped his chest lightly and grinned against his lips.

"I love you," She whispered.

"I love you, starshine," He whispered back, kissing her more desperately. They both got lost in the kiss, and would've stayed there forever, had Grandmother Bruseau not cleared her throat from down the hall.

Aurora sighed and hugged Rudy a final time, whispering in his ear as she did so, "My balcony door is always open…"

With that, she kissed his cheek and smiled up at him. He winked down at her and gave her butt a little pinch, waving with his other hand to Grandmother Bruseau and leaving with his usual cocky saunter. Aurora watched him until he got to the end of the drive. She blew him a kiss and he nodded back just before apparating.

* * *

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